


Teach Your Children Well

by driftingstar



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Developing Friendships, Gen, Kid Fic, Pre-Canon, Suspense, yuugo is clueless, yuuri doesn't know what to do with yuugo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2018-11-30 04:58:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11456478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/driftingstar/pseuds/driftingstar
Summary: "Yuuri’s quiet musings come to an abrupt halt when something odd catches his eye.  He can see an indentation in the flowerbed up ahead and a frown spreads across his face. The emerald grass shows clear signs of disturbance as he draws closer and he can feel his hackles rise.  Someone or something has intruded upon his garden."In which a young Yuugo accidentally teleports himself to Academia years before the Heartland invasion and history is changed.Canon-divergence AU.  Kid fic. Illustrated by Triaga.





	1. Lesson #1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Triaga](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Triaga/gifts).



 

Yuuri likes the gardens.  

 

The lush green hedges and colourful array of flowers is a stark contrast against the cold grey stone that makes up the Academia's castle.  Sprigs of lavender, vines of crawling ivy and shy morning glories greets him as he wanders down the path.  Now that it's known to be one of _his_ areas, hardly anyone else ever wanders in anymore.  Yuuri doesn't mind not having the company; he feels more at ease here than anywhere else.  A secret place just for him.

 

He has long since stopped questioning why the other children seemed to avoid him, their eyes bordering on fear as they scamper away. Although it's nice to not have to wait in line for anything, Yuuri had found the long stretches of solitude and silence rather dull.  He observes them sometimes, all congregating together in little groups and talking up a storm.  And laughing. The sight never fails to evoke a strange emptiness in his chest.  A sort of hollowness that Yuuri likens to a hunger that can’t be satisfied with food.  It gnaws at him from time to time, souring his mood which makes the other children even more determined not to cross his path.

 

It doesn't bother Yuuri, not really.  The feeling is so miniscule that it's a simple matter to ignore it. Bury it among the white noise of everyday life made up of dull lectures and physical training interspersed with long periods of quiet.  He finds ways to amuse himself.  He reads, learns the names of some the flowers and makes up the rest.  He even fashions a deck with plant monsters as if to take a piece of this oasis with him when he has to return to the stone castle.  

 

Yuuri’s quiet musings come to an abrupt halt when something odd catches his eye.  He can see an indentation in the flowerbed up ahead and a frown spreads across his face. The emerald grass shows clear signs of disturbance as he draws closer and he can feel his hackles rise.  Someone or something has intruded upon _his_ garden.  

 

Anger surges as Yuuri stalks forward, magenta eyes narrowed in a glare that usually sends his classmates diving for cover. The sight of bent stems and other traces of damage only infuriates him further and his hands inch towards his duel disk in anticipation.

 

But Yuuri suddenly finds his vengeful thoughts dispersing when he happens upon an unexpected scene.

 

There is an unfamiliar boy lying amongst the daffodils.  Messy golden bangs frame his face while the rest of his hair fans out beneath him in waves of blue.  Like his classmates, his skin is the pale tinge of someone who suffers from a lack of sunlight but Yuuri knows he has never seen him before. He would have remembered; the boy looks almost painfully bright, vivid in a way that the dull spectres of his classmates never managed.  If it wasn’t for the gentle rise and fall of his chest and the serene expression on his face, Yuuri might have entertained the notion that he might have come across a corpse.

 

Annoyance fully replaced by curiosity, Yuuri tiptoes over for a closer look, taking care to avoid trodding on the flowers.  The boy’s clothing is odd; he’s wearing a t-shirt that is too large and too yellow and far more worn than he had seen on anyone else.  His confusion only increases when he notices that the grass around the boy is completely undisturbed.  It was almost like he had dropped out of the sky!

 

“Curiouser and curiouser,” he mutters to himself, echoing a half-remembered quote from a storybook. Although in this scenario, wouldn’t this stranger be Alice?  His lips quirk at the thought of the boy in a blue dress and white apron.  

 

Now that he’s mostly satisfied that the intruder wasn’t one of his silly classmates come to pick a fight with him, Yuuri relaxes, sinking down in the grass next to the sleeping boy.  It’s a rare opportunity for him to be this close to another child his age and he wants to make the most of it.  Up close and beneath the blond bangs that had mostly obscured his features, Yuuri is struck with a cord of recognition when he examines his face.  There is something familiar about the curve of his nose and the general shape of his features, even though Yuuri maintains his stance that they have never met before.  This strangeness prompts him to reach out and poke one of his rounded cheeks.

 

He watches in fascination as the boy’s nose scrunches up at the disturbance as he reaches up unconsciously to bat his hands away.  This only feeds his urge to poke him harder, and this time the boy lets out a whine that reminds him of a stirring kitten.

 

  

 

“Ngh… stoppit,” the boy mumbles, dark brows knitting together harder under Yuuri’s increasingly bolder attempts to pester him.  It isn't until Yuuri pinches his chubby cheeks with both hands that he finally stirs.

 

Dazed eyes flutter open and for a moment Yuuri suddenly finds himself drowning in their blueness like he was gazing into an endless sky.  The illusion ends when the boy blinks again, eyes clouding over in confusion and panic when Yuuri blinks back.

 

“Gaah!!!” the boy yelps, darting up and scampering away so quickly that Yuuri barely avoids their heads colliding.  “You- what are you doing?!”

 

Yuuri can see traces of fear and confusion on the boy’s face as he gazes up at him.  Just like all the others.  Yuuri surprises himself when a wave of disappointment washes over him.  But he only has himself to blame.  He had gotten so caught up in the mystery that he had let his imagination get the better of him. Visitors from other worlds indeed; chances are, this kid is probably another new entrant who hadn’t known of the unspoken rules that no one is to encroach on Yuuri’s territory. Given time, he will learn to fear and scorn from like everyone else.

 

And just like that, Yuuri’s short-lived fun disappears, leaving him with more of the same hollowness.  

 

“You’re in my garden,” he says stiffly, with a coldness in his eyes that a child his age should not possess.  “And I would like you to leave.”  He considers activating his duel disk here and now to hammer the point in but he decides to give him a chance to run.  He supposes he can be lenient since he had kept him amused for a few minutes.

 

However, the strange boy was no longer looking at him. He's gawking at his surroundings like he had never seen it before.  Now that the boy is wide awake, that strange sense of familiarity grows stronger and Yuuri’s eyes can’t help but stray towards his face, fascinated by the varied range of emotions that flit across it. Bewilderment being the most prominent and curiosity being the next.  There is still the same glint of underlying fear which actually doesn't seem to be directed at Yuuri.  He's oddly irritated by that.  He waits with undisguised impatience for his unwanted visitor to pull himself together.  But the next words out of his mouth still don’t make any sense.

 

“Where am I?” The boy’s voice is pitched high with panic as he swivels back… and narrows those luminous eyes at Yuuri. He might have been offended if they weren't such a lovely colour. “Where's Rin?  This isn't the facility!”

 

Yuuri blinks.  Is he actually _glaring_ at him?  “What do you mean, ‘Where are you’?” Yuuri crosses his arms and rolls his eyes at the absurdity of such a question.  “I just _told_ you. You're the one who snuck into my garden and flattened my daffodils!”  

 

“Did not!” the kid argues, even though he is still very clearly sitting in the flower bed with golden petals scattered all over his clothes and hair.  “I was sleeping in my bunk and I didn't sneak nowhere!”

 

“Didn't sneak _any_ where,” Yuuri mutters. “It's ‘didn't sneak anywhere.’” At the boy’s baffled look, he clarifies. “You’re using a double negative. Nevermind.”  The kid looks even more confused and Yuuri wrinkles his nose in annoyance before gesturing down at the sorry looking grass.  “If you didn’t sneak in here, then why are you still sitting on my flowers?”

 

The blond boy blinks and looks down like he’s only noticing for the first time.  “That’s ‘cause… um. Huh?” He frowns hard and Yuuri can almost see the steam coming out of his ears with how hard he seems to be thinking.  “Maybe,” he mumbles, rubbing the back of his neck. “Maybe I was sleepwalking.”

 

“Sleepwalking?” Yuuri echoes, hands going to his hips as he eyes him disbelievingly.  Did this kid expect him to believe he could have snuck out of the castle and its labyrinth-like corridors, avoided several patrols of teachers and navigated himself to this spot all in his _sleep_?  He’s either dealing with a genius or a complete idiot.  “Well then, do you mind sleepwalking back out of here?”

 

Yuuri taps his foot impatiently, but the other boy doesn’t seem to get the hint, taking his sweet time to yawn and stretch.  Apparently satisfied with his own ridiculous explanation, the traces of fear seems to have fled his countenance.  Yuuri finds it slightly annoying.  He’s now looking around with a hint of appreciation, now that his gaze isn’t clouded by panic.  “There’s a lot of pretty flowers here!  Rin will love it!” he exclaims, obviously impressed but Yuuri expression only goes flatter when it doesn’t look like he’s in a hurry to leave.  

 

This leaves Yuuri with a conundrum. He’s never had this much trouble getting anyone to run away from him before. Frowning, he reaches for his deck. The threat of being fed to Starve Venom ought to do the trick.

 

But before he could so much as activate it, his unwanted guest is suddenly right in his personal space and looking way too excited.

 

“Hey, hey!  Is that a real duel disk?!” he exclaims just as Yuuri takes a step back in alarm.  Those clear blue eyes are practically sparkling as they gaze down at his arm.  “That’s so cool! I’ve never seen one up close before!  Does that mean you’re a duelist?!”  

 

“Of course I am,” Yuuri says stiffly.  He had meant for it to come out biting but he sounds confused, even to his own ears.  “Everyone here is.  That’s why it’s called _Duel_ Academia.”  Sarcasm, however, seems to be entirely lost on him as the boy grins so brightly that Yuuri feels like he’s staring into the sun.

 

“So cool,” the boy squeals with enough enthusiasm to make Yuuri’s head hurt as he starts to rummage around in his over-sized pockets. Eventually, he pulls out a well-worn deck holder. Unlike the rest of his shabby appearance, Yuuri is mildly impressed to see that the kid kept his cards in pristine condition as he holds them up.  “I’m a duelist too!  Do you wanna duel?”

 

“What?” The question tumbles out from Yuuri’s lips before he even realizes that he had spoken. He frowns, narrowing his eyes in suspicion at the seemingly innocuous question.

 

 _Do you want to duel_?

 

Yuuri thinks back to all the times the others shrunk away from him in fear, all the looks of horrified anticipation they shot him when they thought he wasn’t looking.  No one would so much as talk to him, let alone offer themselves up to feel his wrath.  And here he is, some new _kid_ , marching up to him without a care in the world, asking him if he wanted to duel.  Yuuri doesn’t know if he ought to laugh or pity the fool.

 

“But you don’t have a duel disk,” he points out instead. “It won’t be a serious duel without one.”

 

“Says who?” the boy shoots back, scowling as he tightens his grip on his cards as offense flickers across his face.  “I’m always serious when I duel!”  But then his face relaxes back into an easy grin.  “You won’t know until you try.  And I’m pretty strong, you know!  Unless you don’t know how to duel without a duel disk? I can teach you if you want.”

 

Yuuri just stares, dumbfounded at the sheer audacity before shaking his head.  There is only one explanation he can come up with.  This kid is an idiot.  “Fine,” he says loftily.  He pulls his deck out from its holder to avoid the insulting insinuation that he needed him to _teach_ him. “Just don’t start crying when I beat you.”

 

For some reason that only makes this strange creature grin.  “Someone’s gonna be crying and it ain’t gonna be me,” he laughs, but what makes it stranger is that Yuuri doesn’t detect anything malicious about it. Another first. He’s too stunned to react when the kid suddenly reaches out a grubby hand and grabs his fingers and drags him over to a wide tree stump by the side of the path.

 

Yuuri shakes his hand away as soon as he remembers how to react again.  To his utter disgust, his hand was _sticky._  He wipes his palm on his trouser leg and glares with menace as he shuffles his deck.  He’ll make this idiot regret waking up in his flowers.

 

Completely unaware of his thoughts, the dumb blond is still beaming at him.  “I’ll go first!” he says.  “I normal summon **Speedroid・Horse Stilts** which means I get to special another Speedroid monster from my hand.  I can’t attack this turn, but that’s okay since it’s the first turn so I can’t attack anyway! I’ll special summon the tuner monster, **Three Eyed Dice**!  Next, I’ll set two cards and end my turn.”

 

“Let’s end this quickly. I draw,” Yuuri says as he fans out his hand, intent on giving this kid the beating of his life.  Then they’ll see if he’ll dare to act so… so friendly with him.  “I’ll start by summoning **Predator Plants・Ophrys Scorpio** ! This lets me send a monster from my hand to my graveyard to summon **Predator Plants・Lilyzard** from my deck!”  A slow grin starts to spread on his face as he gazes down at the fusion spell in his hand. “And next, I’ll activate _Yuugou_ to fuse my monsters together! Appear-”

 

“Ehhh?! What did you just call me?”

 

“- **Starve Venom Fusion Dragon**!” Yuuri’s grin turns almost maniacal as his ace monster arrives.  The poison-fanged dragon who made his opponents wet themselves with fear.  The only pity is that some of the effect is diminished without solid vision. The boy seems to be frozen in shock, jaw slack as he stares down at Starve Venom like he can’t believe his eyes.  But Yuuri isn’t kind enough to let him get his bearings.  “Now attack Three-Eyed Dice!”

 

But against all expectations, the boy _grins back_.

 

“I activate Urgent Tuning!” he exclaims, those strange blue eyes bright with triumph.  “This lets me Synchro Summon during the battle phase!  I tune Three Eyed Dice (Lvl 3) to Horse Stilts (Lvl 4)!  Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings, and strike down your enemies at the speed of light! Synchro Summon! Appear now! **Clear Wing Synchro Dragon**!”

 

Yuuri nearly drops his cards in shock when the strange blond boy suddenly performs a monster summoning that Yuuri had never even  _heard of_.   “How did you do that?!” he demands, taking a step forward. “What’s a Synchro Summon?  There wasn’t anything like that in the textbooks!”

 

“You first!” the boy retorts, sounding far too carefree for Yuuri’s liking.  “What’s that weird thing you just did to get that dragon out?  Were you cheating?”

 

“Was not!” Yuuri grits out before getting ahold of himself.  “If anyone’s cheating, _you_ are.  That was a Fusion summoning!  Everyone knows that.”

 

“Stop calling me Fusion!” The boy stamps his feet and screws up his face.  “And everyone knows about _Synchro_ summoning!  Even a kid like me knows that!”

 

“Well- Well your dragon’s attack is still lower!” Yuuri glares.  “Starve Venom, attack!”

 

“Not anymore, it’s not! I activate Burning Sonic!  Now your dragon’s attack is negated and Clear Wing gains 500 attack points!  Which means it’s at… um… 3, 4, 5… 2900 attack points!”

 

“3000 attack!”  Yuuri hisses, infuriated.

 

“Oh right!  3000 attack points!”  The kid nods smugly and crosses his arms.  “That’s even higher!  So there!”  

 

Yuuri grits his teeth and places a few more set cards, his face slowly turning red from being bested, even if it was just one round.  He’ll just have to end it next turn

 

However, this seemingly airheaded kid counters strategy after strategy, those luminous eyes shining with glee as he surprises him over and over.  Neither of them gave an inch, lifepoints whittled away bit by bit at every turn.  As soon as Yuuri thought he had the upper hand, this strange boy would do something completely unexpected. It was so annoying, like a gnat buzzing around his face that he can’t seem to swat away.  Yuuri should be doing so much better than this!  He had never had this much trouble winning before!

 

But somewhere between them trading blows, something in Yuuri changes.  He starts to look forward to the other boy’s next turn, his heart pounding in his ears as his eyes dart around his cards.  Strategies forming rapidly in his mind that he considers and discards and refines.  He’s never had to think so hard.  Never had a duel which he couldn’t clearly see the outcome of.  It lasts for what seems like hours, stuck in an endless stalemate until their decks were nearly all used up.  

 

Despite everything his appearance screamed, the boy was clearly some kind of idiotic _genius_ when it came to duels.  His duel made absolutely no sense; some of his strategies were so well planned that even Yuuri thought they were beautiful, but then, he would do something completely inane like betting the final outcome of his fate on the roll of a _dice_.

 

“You’re ridiculous,” Yuuri tells him.  “There’s no way you can know what you’re going to roll!  If you don’t get an even number, Clear Wing’s going to be destroyed!”

 

“But if it lands on even, Clear Wing will get another 1000 attack which means I win!  That’s why dueling is so much fun, right?” he replies with another one of those infectiously careless laughs.  “Wouldn’t it be boring if you know exactly how everything’s gonna end?”  

 

“Fun?” Yuuri echoes, staring at him disbelievingly.  “What’s fun if you lose?!”  But all the same his eyes are glued to the dice as it clatters to the makeshift table, his heart in his throat as a thrill unlike any other fills him.  But something goes wrong; the dice must have hit the wood at an odd angle because it careens off the stump and into the grass.

 

“Ah, crud!” the boy exclaims before getting on his hands and knees to search for it, leaving Yuuri with a complicated expression on his face. Much of the tension had broken but Yuuri’s heart is still pounding a mile a minute.  His chest is heaving like he’s run a marathon and his jaw hurts and it’s only when he reaches up to touch his cheeks that he discovers that he’s grinning like a fool.  

 

He was enjoying it, Yuuri realizes. He had enjoyed it like he never had before; throwing himself into the duel against someone he could call a rival with everything he had.  And he didn't want it to stop.

 

“Found it!” A triumphant shout pulls him out of his musings and he turns to see the boy holding up a clenched fist.  “Sorry ‘bout that. I’ll throw it again.”

 

“No,” Yuuri cuts in, surprising even himself when he reaches across to grab his fist.  

 

The kid blinks. “Huh?”

 

Yuuri shakes his head before bursting into a carefree laughter that he can’t seem to stop.  Now it’s the blond boy’s turn to stare at him like he’s an alien as he struggles to catch his breath. “No,” he repeats with mock sternness. “You’re not allowed to roll twice. That’s against the rules.”

 

“Ehhh?” the kid exclaims, dismayed.  “But how’re we supposed to know what it landed on?”

 

“Isn’t that why dueling is so much fun?” Yuuri can’t help but laugh at the look on his face as he throws his own words back.  “Not knowing what the outcome is?  Well.  Let’s just call it a draw for now.”

 

“Whaat?!  But that’s not fair!  I wanted to know who won!” The kid is practically whining as he shoots affronted glares at him.

 

Still grinning smugly like the cat that got the cream, Yuuri starts to gather up his cards.  “That’s too bad. Looks like you’re just going to have to duel me again.”

 

The blond kid gapes at him, flabbergasted for a moment before it finally clicks. Then another brilliant grin spreads across his face.  “Yeah!” he cheers.  “Let’s go again… uh?”

 

“Yuuri,”  he offers with another smug smile.  For some reason, everything feels… brighter.  More vivid.  Like this ridiculous boy is washing his grey world with colour.

 

“Gotcha. My name’s Yuugo! Duel me again, Yuuri!”

 

“Eh?   _Yuugou_?  You’re named after a summoning method?”

 

“What! No!  It’s _Yuugo_.  Yuu-go!!”

 

“Isn’t it fine, either way?”

 

“No, it’s not!”

 


	2. Lesson #2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Yuuri and Yuugo make several discoveries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never learn... here's another installment of tiny!pawns
> 
> why won't anyone stop me??

Yuuri wins the next duel but Yuugo immediately demands a rematch and Yuuri is so surprised that he ends up accepting.  And then he  _ loses _ .  

He stares blankly down at his cards while his opponent jumps for joy, pumping both fists into the air in celebration.  This time Yuuri is the one insisting on playing again and Yuugo is only too happy to comply.  Yuuri loses that one too but wins the next three and by the time they finally realize it, the sky was already dark and they couldn't see their cards anymore. 

“Oh crud! It’s this late already?” Yuugo exclaims. Abandoning their match, he clambers up to his feet and brushes the grass stains off his knees.  Without daylight, the lush green hedges are transformed into dark, looming structures as the pale moon cast strange, shifting shadows over the meadow.  

Yuuri rises as well with an odd pit in his stomach as he watches his expression. 

“I gotta go,” Yuugo is mumbling, expression torn between panic and reluctance, especially when he glances back down at the half-finished game.  “Rin’s probably worried about me.” 

The pit grows and Yuuri finds himself blurting out, “You're leaving?” His voice comes out louder and crosser than he had intended. He's struck by a wave of complicated feelings that pass by too fast for him to identify, leaving him with a nagging sense of dissatisfaction. His lips curl.  “But we’re not finished yet.”  

He had never had fun like this before where the hours ticked by like seconds and the sky changed without his notice. It was wondrous and magical and ended all too fast, like a spell lifting at the stroke of midnight and leaving everything as it were.  He's seized with an urge to reach out and grab onto the sticky little hand that had filled him with disgust just hours before and hold on tight so that the other boy wouldn't be able to go away.

“I'll come right back!” Yuugo exclaims, interrupting the negative turn to his thoughts so swiftly that Yuuri almost believed he had read his mind. “Promise. I'll come looking for you first thing tomorrow and I'll bring Rin too!” He grins easily, the slightly dopey expression without a trace of guile but Yuuri still isn't at all mollified.

Perhaps it's irrational but Yuuri can’t help but doubt this airy promise of tomorrow. What if the moment he looks away, this strange, ridiculous child will disappear just as suddenly as he had appeared?  How can Yuuri be sure that the other children wouldn't poison him against Yuuri?  How does he know that Yuugo won't decide he would rather spend his time with someone else?  And then, there's that other name again. Rin, Rin, Rin.  

“What's a Rin?” he asks impatiently, arms crossed over his chest as he makes his displeasure clear.  

He has a feeling he won't like the answer and he's proven right when Yuugo replies, “Rin’s my friend!  We live at the facility together.” 

Yuuri’s expression closes off until his face could be carved from granite. Once again, he experiences a surge of irritation at the boy who dared to barge into his world and fill it with laughter and smiles and think he can just wander right out of it again?  If that is how it's going to be then he would rather they never met!  

“Fine then,” he says heatedly, a dull, angry flush rising up into his cheeks.  “Go back to  _ Rin _ .” 

Yuuri tells himself he doesn't care when Yuugo blinks up at him, startled at the sudden vehemence in his tone.  He  _ doesn't _ .  Because he's almost certain the other boy isn't coming back.  No one else ever does. 

“Um.  Okay?” Yuugo says slowly, watching him with bemusement as he goes to collect his deck.  Yuuri watches him back, feeling the pit in his stomach grow deeper and emptier with every card that goes back into its holder.  Eventually, Yuugo’s side of their makeshift field is clear, like every trace of him had been wiped clean.  Yuuri can't help but notice how lonely his monsters look, all still lined up and waiting for a duel that isn't going to happen. 

“See you tomorrow?” The boy offers him, uncertainty bleeding into his normally sunny face but Yuuri still doesn't care. He goes to collect his cards, lips firmly pressed into a line as he absolutely refuses to return the farewell he hadn't wanted. 

He doesn't look up when Yuugo circles around the stump, too busy glaring down at the darkened grass.  There is a curious sting behind his eyes and he reaches up to rub it away.  He must have gotten dirt in them.  He is so focused on ignoring Yuugo that he's completely caught off guard when a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around his waist and crushes his face against a bony shoulder.

“What are you  _ doing _ ?” Yuuri demands, alarmed. He half wonders if he's being attacked but there is no accompanying pain.  Frowning, he shoves at his arms but Yuugo only squeezes him harder. It's strange and awkward since Yuugo is all pointy elbows and his breath is making the hairs on the back of his neck stand.  “Stop it!” 

Yuugo shakes his head and Yuuri winces when he gets a mouthful of blue hair.  “Nuh uh! You were doing that frowny thing that Rin does when she's mad.  Why are you mad?”  

“I'm not!” Yuuri protests, irritated that the other boy’ is picking such an inconvenient time to be astute.  With a final shove, he finally manages to free himself, sending Yuugo crashing to the ground with a satisfying yelp.  His hands go to his hips as he glares down at him but the look of hurt flashing across Yuugo’s face does little to make him feel better.

“See, you  _ are _ mad!” Yuugo cries, scampering back onto his feet as the hurt transforms into indignance.  “Are you mad because we didn't finish the duel! I said I was gonna come back!” 

“Well, I don’t believe you!” Both of them start and Yuuri isn’t sure which of them is more surprised at his outburst.  

Yuugo blinks several times before realization slowly dawned chasing away the clouds over his face clear. Then, he’s smiling so brightly that Yuuri almost thought the sun had returned.  “Oh, so  _ that’s _ why you’re so mad.  But I said I promised, didn’t I? A real duelist always keeps his promises!” Before Yuuri can say something cold and derisive, Yuugo is in his face again and holding out a fist with his pinky outstretched.  He stares at it blankly until the other boy gets impatient and grabs his hand and links their fingers together. 

“Now what are you doing?” Too baffled to even stay angry, Yuuri tries to pull back his hand but Yuugo holds on with the same kind of stubbornness that had bullied Yuuri into dueling him in the first place. 

“It’s a pinky promise,” he says with an almost comical graveness. “If you break a pinky promise, you have to swallow a thousand needles and then your pinky gets cut off.” 

Even Yuuri can’t help but make a face at the imagery.  But strangely enough, the knot in his stomach starts to unravel.  “Really?” he says, skepticism wavering in the wake of Yuugo’s sincerity.  “Do you pinky promise you’ll come back?  You won’t run away from me?  Ever?”  

“I do!” Yuugo declares without a single trace of hesitation.  “I promise I’ll come right back!”

“Hmph.” Yuuri leans over, lips pressed into a thin line as he glares into the other boy’s eyes as if searching for falsehoods. After a lengthy pause, the corners of his mouth curls up. His chest feels… fuller.  Like some of the gnawing emptiness in his heart had finally gone away.  And all because of this ridiculous child.  But he still isn’t entirely satisfied yet.  Yuuri quickly schools his smile back into a frown as he presses further.  “And you promise you won’t be scared of me no matter what the other children say?” 

“I promise!” 

“And you’ll do everything I tell you to?” 

“I promise-  _ Hey _ ! You… you tricked me!” 

Yuuri is too busy cackling at Yuugo’s indignant expression and he’s still laughing even as he is tackled to the ground.  He lands on his back with a furious Yuugo sitting on his chest and he thinks it's  _ hilarious _ .

“A promise is a promise,” he says gleefully as Yuugo growls. 

“That’s not fair!” he cries.  “That last one doesn't count.” 

“You're the one who said a duelist always keeps his promises.” 

“But-! You-! Gaah!” Yuuri watches in fascination as the other boy turns red before finally admitting defeat and throwing his hands up. “You're so mean!” 

“You're just too easy to tease.” 

“Am not!” 

Yuugo looks so funny when he's angry; those too big eyes narrowed as he tries to look intimidating and his round cheeks are all puffed up like a baby hedgehog. It makes Yuuri want to poke them again. So he does.

“What was that for?!” Yuugo yelps as he scrambles off him, both hands pressed against his face protectively. 

Yuuri smiles serenely as he gets up as well.  His back is covered in grass stains but he's in far too good a mood to care.  “How about this,” he says magnanimously.  “You do me three favours and then I'll let you off the hook.  Sound fair?” 

Yuugo sputters as his mouth works in soundness outrage. After several long seconds of visible deliberation, he crosses his arms over his chest with a huff.  “... Just  _ three _ , OK?” he huffs. 

“Deal,” Yuuri says putting his hands together over his mouth so Yuugo can’t see the gleeful look on his face. He really is too easy.  Still smiling, he pivots on the spot and quickly packs up his deck with a much better mood than before. He pauses and cocks a hand on his hip.  “Well, what are you waiting for?  Didn’t you say you wanted to get back?”

“Huh?” Yuugo blurts out, blinking rapidly before his clueless expression clears.  “Oh, right! Rin!”  

Once Yuuri is satisfied that he’s trailing him behind like a lost puppy, he makes his way back to the path.  It’s child’s play for him to navigate the winding hedges in the dark; this is  _ his _ garden after all. He knows every bush, every twist in the path, every pebble.  The garden is a veritable maze and he’s rather impressed that Yuugo had made it so deep into it all on his own.  Although, he doesn’t seem to be nearly as good finding his way back.  Yuuri is torn between rolling his eyes and snickering as he hears the other boy yelping and cursing as he stumbles into shrubberies and gets tangled in ivy with a clumsiness that is rather impressive on its own.  

Annoyance wins out and Yuuri stops, groping around in the dark until his grabs hold of his hand. “Keep up, Yuugou,” he says, shaking his head.  “Before you ruin any more of my plants.” 

“It’s Yuugo!” Comes the dismayed complaint, but Yuuri is quietly pleased when Yuugo doesn’t shake him off. Instead, he squeezes back, holding on just a bit too tight like he’s afraid of being left behind.  Yuugo’s hand rough and callused with uneven, bitten-off nails and his palms are still a bit sticky, but Yuuri doesn’t mind it too much anymore.  Despite the chill of the evening air, Yuuri feels as warm as ever with that little hand clasped tightly in his. 

It’s nice, he thinks, to have someone walking with him for a change.  There’s something oddly comforting about having a second set of footfalls echoing behind his. Even if his shadow is loud and insists on bumping into him every other step. 

“Ouch! How can you see where you’re going? It’s so dark!”

“That’s because you’re not paying enough attention!  I’m over here.” 

“Am too paying attention! I just can’t  _ see _ nothing.”

“It’s ‘anything’, not ‘nothing’. And you don’t need to see, you just need to pay attention to where I’m walking and stop stepping on me!”

“How am I supposed to do that if I can’t see?!”

“Stop complaining, or I’ll let go!”

“What? No! You can’t!”

 

Eventually, the pair of them finally make their way through the hedges and Yuuri breathes a sigh at the sight of the grey castle walls. His stomach twists as a wave of melancholy washes over him. 

“You can find your way back from here, right?” he says, unable to keep the reluctance from his voice despite his best efforts to sound casual.  “If I don’t see you back here tomorrow, I’m going to find you and make you swallow a thousand needles and I’m going to be keeping  _ count _ .”  Steeling himself, he lets Yuugo’s hand drop and starts to walk back to his room.  Only to be jerked back when Yuugo suddenly grabs onto him with both hands.  Now what?

But when he turns to tell him off, he’s momentarily taken aback when he sees the look on Yuugo’s face. 

“Wait.” Yuugo swallows audibly, those luminous blue eyes brimming with fear and confusion. “This… This isn’t right.  I don’t recognize anything. There’s supposed to be a huge tower right over there! For the TOPs.” 

Puzzled, Yuuri frowns back at him.  “What are you talking about?  This is how this place has always looked.  This is the Academia, remember?”

“Aca-de-mia?” Yuugo asks blankly. “What’s that?”

“Huh?” 

“Huh?”

 

For a moment, the two of them simply stare at each other, with Yuugo still awkwardly holding onto Yuuri’s hand like a lifeline.

“What do you mean, ‘what’s Academia?” Yuuri says crossly.  “You don’t just  _ show up _ here and not know about it!” 

“I live in the Commons! I don’t know any Academia!” Yuugo argues back just as stubbornly.  

“Look,” Yuuri says with a huff and an eye roll, dragging him up a flight of stairs until they’re overlooking the courtyard. “Does anything look familiar now?”

Yuugo stares quietly. “No,” he says in a tiny, trembling voice. “Nothing looks familiar.  Yuuri, I think… I think I’m lost.” 

“Lost?” Yuuri echoes, staring at the ridiculous child like he had grown another head.  

No one just  _ shows up _ at Academia. All children over the age of eight have to attend and the only way onto the island is to get on a ship.  There’s simply no way someone could end up here entirely by accident. He frowns harder.  The other boy doesn’t look like he’s clever enough to be making it all up. So how did he get into his garden?  It’s not like he really could have just fallen down a rabbit hole!

Behind him, Yuugo hiccups, dragging Yuuri out of his thoughts. 

“How… How am I gonna get home?” he asks, sounding absolutely miserable as he lets out a pathetic sniffle. To Yuuri’s alarm, the other boy’s lip starts to tremble.

“Are you… are you crying?” he demands, appalled. 

“‘M not crying,” Yuugo denies thickly, rubbing at his eyes on the back of his hand. “‘M not a baby. And boys don’t cry.”

“You  _ are _ crying,” Yuuri tells him and crosses his arms in dismay.  He bites his lips, agitated when he realizes that he’s at a complete loss as to how to stop it.  While he’s had plenty of experience making other little boys and girls run away from him crying, he doesn’t know how to get them to stop. 

Or maybe he does? Yuuri thinks back to the burning sensation behind his eyes and the way Yuugo had chased it away with his little hands and bony elbows. Huffing again, he steps back over to him and throws his arms awkwardly around his shoulders. Yuugo smells like grass and earth and he’s much, much smaller than he looks under his oversized t-shirt.  But he’s warm and solid and Yuuri finds that he doesn't mind it at all. 

“Stop being a baby,” he scolds. “You’ll sleep over in my room and tomorrow we’ll ask the Professor where you live. Okay?”

Yuugo sniffles into his neck and wraps his arms around him too and Yuuri takes it as a sign that it’s working.  “What’s a Pro-fess-or?” 

“He’s one of the adults.  Everyone has to listen to him.  He’ll know how to get you home.” 

“...‘Kay,” Yuugo finally says, hiccupping quietly as he gives his eyes one last rub. 

“You're not going to keep crying, right?” 

“Said I wasn't crying.” 

“You were.”

“Wasn't!” Yuugo insists, even though his puffy eyes and red nose say otherwise but Yuuri lets it go since the sniffling seems to be subsiding. 

Yuuri carefully unwinds his arms from the other boy’s scrawny shoulders and clears his throat.  “Okay, now follow me. And be quiet.  We’re not supposed to be out this late.”  Although Yuuri’s teachers generally tend to let Yuuri do as he liked, being an honour student and all, he still had to follow a curfew like everyone else, as much as he would rather sleep in his garden. 

Yuugo trails after him, still rubbing his eyes.  “I'm not supposed to be out this late either.  Rin’s gonna be super mad and Matron’s gonna send me to bed without supper.” 

_ Rin _ . Yuuri scowls and speeds up.  “Hmph. Here, you'd be lucky if our teachers don't lock you up in the dungeons.” 

“Dungeons?!” Yuugo gasps and Yuuri immediately claps a hand over his mouth because apparently, his idea of being quiet was yelling in a stage whisper.

“Shush!” he scolds. “I said you have to be  _ quiet _ . Do you want them to catch us?”  Yuugo nods furiously and this time mimes pulling a zipper over his mouth. 

But it's too late because that's exactly when a long shadow falls over them.

  
“ _ Mamma mia!  _ Just what are you doing out here this late,  _ Señor _ Yuuri?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> seriously, please stop me 
> 
> or encourage me,
> 
> one of those


	3. Lesson #3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Yuuri and Yuugo run into a spot of nostalgia- I mean, trouble. 
> 
> Features a duel that I. Stayed. Up. To. 3 AM TO WRITE!!!!! I'm never doing this again!

Yuuri stiffens and releases his hand over Yuugo’s mouth, ignoring the other boy gasping for breath in favour of turning around and plastering the most innocent look he can on his face as his gaze slides up. Long, platinum blond hair, skin caked in white face powder and dark purple lipstick… perhaps on any other face, that look could be considered attractive.  But on this one?  Yuuri fights back a disgusted grimace because he's technically in trouble and shouldn’t be making things worse for himself.

“Professor Cronos,” he says, taking a slight step forward as if trying to hide his companion from sight.  But it's too late, judging by the way Yuugo’s eyes budge.

“Gyaah! It's a monster!” he shrieks, nearly knocking Yuuri over when he suddenly clings to him in fright.

“Mon-monster?” And for some reason, Professor Cronos is shrieking as well, those toadish eyes swiveling in his head as he whirls around.  “Where?!”  There is a strained silence that neither of the two boys want to break, the awkwardness stretching slowly until it snaps altogether when Cronos finally gets it.

A terrible expression flashes across his already horrifying features, stretching it in truly unflattering ways as he glowers down at them.  “ _Scusami_ , but _who_ are you saying has the face of a hideous monster?!” Yuugo lets out another terrified squeak as he tries to make himself even smaller but Cronos is having none of it. Nostrils flaring, he looks seconds away from pawing the ground like an angry bull about to charge. “I have _never_ been so disrespected in my whole _carriera_ , _nano ne_!  I’ll have you strung up by your ankles!”

Yuuri frowns, a spike of irritation rising as he tightens his grip on Yuugo’s hand. Despite being too loud and too emotional and absolutely terrible at stealth, Yuuri had been rather pleased with how things were going, up until Cronos showed up to get in the way.  He had been looking forward to spending more time with him; Yuugo is new and strange and _interesting_ (and like a particularly good mystery novel, Yuuri is practically itching to peel back his layers to unearth all of his secrets) but standing here and watching this adult scream about his bruised ego definitely is not.

He takes a pointed step back and drags Yuugo with him, his frown slowly morphing into a glare that gave the other children nightmares.  Even Cronos seems to have second thoughts.  Despite the dim light, Yuuri can see clearly his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallows.

“ _Señor_ Yuuri,” he says, suddenly all smiles and honey as he rubs his hands together. A visible bead of sweat drips from his hairline.  “If you wouldn’t mind stepping aside so I can punish this little delinquent for his insolence.”

“I didn’t say any of those things!” Yuugo cries indignantly as he peeks out from behind Yuuri’s shoulder.  “...Even though they’re all true.  Bleeh!”  With all the stunning maturity of a nine-year-old, the blond boy pulls down an eyelid and sticks out his tongue and Yuuri watches in fascination as the beleaguered teacher’s powdered face turns blotchy with rage.

“Why you-” He lets out a screech, lunging forward as he makes throttling motions with his hands.

“Professor Cronos,” Yuuri cuts in sweetly before he does something that Yuuri will make him regret. “It is late and I would like to go back to my room if that is okay with you.”

As expected, Cronos’s demeanor immediately flips back to saccharine sweetness as he practically croons, rubbing his hands together and swaying from side to side.  “Of course a star pupil like yourself needs his beauty sleep-”

“Good night, then,” Yuuri bids and turns on his heels, tugging Yuugo along impatiently.

“W, wait!” Cronos yelps, leaping in front of them to block their path. "I must protest your association with this… this ill-mannered _dropout-boy_ ! _Señor_ Yuuri, he’s obviously a bad influence, keeping you outside after curfew!”  He rounds on Yuugo, barking, “Where is your uniform, _boy_? And you’re absolutely filthy!  I ought to beat some manners into you!”  

“It’s not dropout-boy, it’s Yuugo!” Obviously incensed, Yuugo steps forward with a yell, pulling away from Yuuri and balls his little hands into fists.  “Why are you being so mean, we haven't done anything bad yet!”

At this, Yuuri’s mouth twists in displeasure and his hands inch toward his duel disk.  “Professor Cronos,” he says, pitching his childish voice into something low and dangerous.  “If you're not going to let us go to bed I'm going to get very, very upset.”

Cronos immediately pales, affecting a shaky laugh as he produces a handkerchief from nowhere and gives his brow a good mop. “Now, now, _Señor_ Yuuri, there's no need to get worked up. I only mean to instill a tiny bit of discipline, is all. I mean, without a firm hand, naughty children will turn rotten.”

“Hey! Who are you calling rotten?!”

“Hmm,” Yuuri drags the syllable out, looking utterly unimpressed.  Even the adults were little better than the spineless creatures he had to call classmates.  Then, a slow, angelic smile spreads across his face. “Of course, Professor Cronos. I would never presume to get in the way of your discipline.”

“What?!” Two disbelieving voices ring out in unison.

“Yuuri, what’s that supposed to mean?” Yuugo demands unhappily, tugging insistently on his sleeve as the faint inklings of betrayal dawns on his face.  “Yuuriiii!”

Cronos’s jaw makes an audible click when he snaps it shut.  He straightens up and smooths over the imaginary wrinkles in his shirt, puffing up his chest with an air of importance. “Ah, yes, of course, my top student would see sense.  And as for _you,_ dropout boy, you're going to wish you had apologised _nano ne!”_

“But Professor,” Yuuri cuts in again before Yuugo can explode.  “Weren't you the one who said that we should settle things with a duel?” Yuuri’s secretive smile widens into something unsettling as his eyes shine with feigned fervor.  “You told us that only the strong have authority and that we have the obligation to trample over the weak.  Isn't this the perfect time to teach him a lesson?”

“Ohoho, but of course, what a perfect suggestion!” Cronos chortles into his palm, his cheeks tinged pink from Yuuri’s insincere flattery behind the overly thick layer of make-up.  Leering, he activates the duel disk on the front of his jacket.  His pasty face takes on a rather sinister cast and rather reminds Yuuri of one of those ugly antique _noh_ masks.  “It’s time for a lesson you won’t forget, dropout boy!”

“Just one moment,” Yuuri says, all smiles as he grabs the speechless Yuugo by the arm and drags him just out of earshot.  

“You got me into trouble!” Yuugo just about shrieks at him, his round face angry and red like a ripe tomato as he stomps his feet.  “Why d’you _do_ that, you, you, stupid-Yuuri!”

Yuuri is still feeling so pleased with himself that he barely even takes offense at being called stupid. “Weren’t you listening at all?” he scolds, placing his hands on his hips.  Alright, maybe he is a little bit offended. “I _helped_ you.  Now all you have to do is win and he can’t punish you.”

Still scowling deeply, Yuugo opens his mouth only to shut it with a confused click. He opens and shuts it a few times before crossing his arms in bewilderment.  “Huh? Really?!” he exclaims. “I just have to beat him?  Won’t that make him madder?”

“Trust me,” Yuuri says haughtily.  “Now, you don’t have a duel disk, right?  You can use mine.”

Yuugo blinks. His eyes suddenly turn round and shiny as he perks right up. “Really? I can use your disk?!”

“How else are you supposed to duel him?” Yuuri points out as he unequips it from his arm and Yuugo reaches for it with shaky hands.  He lets out a breathless squeal, looking like he was floating on a cloud of euphoria.

“I'm touching a _real duel disk_ ,” he whispers, practically catatonic and Yuuri blinks at him in bemusement. This boy is so strange.

“Hurry up and put it on,” he huffs but doesn't trust Yuugo to move so he grabs it from him again and straps it to his arm.

Yuugo makes another strangled noise as he stares down at the disk and looks like all his Christmases and birthdays had come at once.

“You press this to activate a magic or trap card, this one to shuffle your deck, this one to end your turn...”  Yuuri cycles through the basic functions quickly, although he isn’t sure how of much is actually sinking in.  “Are you listening?” he asks, just in case, but the dazed nod he gets in return isn’t especially encouraging.

“What is taking so long, _nano ne_ ?!  You’re not thinking of skipping your punishment, are you?!” Cronos calls impatiently from across the field and Yuugo seems to snap out of his stupor.  He visibly shakes himself a few times before glancing over at his opponent. It seems that the most effective way to get him to stop admiring the duel disk was the prospect of getting to actually _duel_ with it. He bounces in place, looking equal parts thrilled and nervous.

“Wait, didn’t you call this person a ‘pro-fess-or’?” Yuugo asks, suddenly worried like he hadn't just been seconds away from punching a teacher. “Isn't he the adult that everyone has to listen to?”

“No, that's _The_ Professor.  This one isn't important,” Yuuri says, waving a hand dismissively.   

“But he's strong right?” Yuugo insists. “Are you sure this is okay? I dun wanna be strung up by my ankles.”

“What are you talking about?”  Yuuri says crossly.  “You beat _me_ before, remember? If you lose against _that,_ I'm going to be very upset with _you._ ”

"!!” Yuugo’s jaw drops before he crosses his arms, cheeks puffed up in annoyance.  “Who said anything about losing?!”  With an indignant huff, he slides his deck into Yuuri’s disk and switches it on.  “I'm gonna win, just watch me!”

Yuuri has to fight the urge to giggle and clap his hands as Yuugo marches forward purposefully with those blue eyes of his narrowed in determination. He’s reminded of tales of brave and gallant knights, saving princesses from towers and riding off to do battle with a wicked witch. He hoists himself onto a nearby ledge, kicking his feet as his eyes shine with anticipation.

Cronos sneers down at his tiny opponent, lips peeling back to reveal pink gums and rows of white teeth. “This will be over quick!”

“That’s what I was just gonna say!” Yuugo is sporting a rather savage grin that looks almost out of place on his normally sunny face.  “Bring it on!”

 

“ **Duel**!”

 

**Cronos: 4000 LP**

**Yuugo: 4000 LP**

 

“I’ll take the first turn,” Cronos declares right off the bat.  “I activate the continuous spell, **Antique Gear Castle**!” The bricks beneath their feet rumble ominously and a set of walls rises up around them, rapidly forming an entirely new structure in the blink of an eye.

Yuugo’s jaw drops as he glances around, staring down at the sudden drawbridge that replaced the walkway that he had just been standing on. “Is this... real solid vision _?_!” he practically squeals. “So cool!”  

Cronos clears his throat loudly, shooting him a glare like he was a particularly juicy insect that he sorely wanted to trample underfoot.  “Next, I normal summon **Antique Gear Soldier (1300/1300)**.  This lets me add one gear counter to my castle!  I’ll set two cards face down and end my turn. Let’s see what you can do, dropout boy!”

“I said, my name is Yuugo!” Yuugo scowls at Cronos and his clockwork soldier, before beaming and drawing.  “My turn!  Since I don’t have any monsters, I can special summon **Speedroid** **・** **Beigomax (1200/600)** from my hand.  And when I control a wind monster, I can special summon **Speedroid** **・** **Taketonborg (600/1200)** from my hand!”

Yuuri sits up a little straighter when he recognizes the combo.  Yuugo now has six levels on the field and he has little doubt that he has a tuner monster in his hand.  He can’t help but be excited; now he’ll finally get to see a real life synchro summon in the flesh!  Despite how much he had enjoyed dueling with Yuugo over their little makeshift table, it just wasn’t the same.

“Not so fast!” Cronos suddenly cuts in, glee spilling from his face like a toddler dribbling over his bib. “I activate **Treacherous Trap Hole**! Since the duel has just begun and I don’t have any trap cards in my graveyard, I can destroy both of your monsters!”

“What?!” Yuugo cries, just as dismayed as Yuuri is at having his strategy thwarted.  “That’s not fair!”

Cronos preens like a peacock, sticking his sharp nose high into the air. “You’re a thousand years too early to think about challenging me! I, the great Cronos de Medici, am undefeated in a hundred matches!”

Yuugo’s bottom lip trembles briefly before curving into a pout.  “That…that’s way too difficult to pronounce!  I’ll just call you, um... Pro-fess-or Con-do?”

“What?!  It’s Chronos!   _Chronos_!”

“Isn’t it the same, either way?  Anyway, I still have one Normal Summon left this turn!  I summon **Speedroid Pachinkokart (1800/1000 ATK)** and I attack Antique Gear Soldier **(1300+300 → 1600 ATK)**!”  

 

**Cronos: 4000 → 3800 LP**

 

Yuugo cheers, jumping up and down on the spot.  “Did you see that, Yuuri?” he calls, twisting around to wave frenetically at him, his face flushed and eyes so bright that Yuuri’s breath catches.

He clears his throat and rolls his eyes. “Just focus on the duel,” he orders, even though it’s rather endearing to see someone getting so excited by something so minor. Although, it’s nice to know that Yuugo had actually paid attention to his rapid-fire explanations.

“Right, right,” Yuugo says, still beaming like nothing in the world could get him down. “Next, I’ll set two cards face down and end my turn!”

Cronos harrumphs. “Hmph. As expected of a dropout boy, so happy about doing such small damage.  I activate Double Summon, which lets me Normal Summon twice this turn!  I summon a second **Antique Gear Soldier (1300/300)** and **Antique Gear Canon (500/500)**.  Now, my Antique Gear Castle gains two more gear counters!”  The castle rumbles ominously, letting out a low creak as two more rotating gears slowly rise up to join the first.    

“Next, I equip Antique Gear Soldier with Antique Gear Tank which raises its attack by 600 points! That’s 2200 attack points in total!  Now, Antique Gear Soldier attacks Pachinkokart (1800 ATK)!”  

“Then, I activate a trap-!  Huh?” Yuugo blinks down in dismay at the flashing red error display on his duel disk. “What? Why isn’t it working?”

“Too bad!” Cronos crows, those beetle-black eyes glittering with malice.  “When Antique Gear Soldier attacks, you can’t activate any spell or trap cards until the end of the damage step!”

Yuugo flinches and takes a step back.  “What?! But that’s not fair!  How am I supposed to fight back?!”

Cronos throws his head back as a peal of hyena laughter erupts from his chest. “Behold! The power to trample ove your enemies like insects with no hope of resistance! This is the true might of an Academia Professor!  Now, destroy him, my monsters!”

Yuugo cries out as first wave of barrage of attacks hit him, first slamming into his monster and dissolving them into sparks before washing over him and forcing him to stumble back.  He yelps, stunned by the ferocity of his first solid vision experience.  “Oww…” he mumbles, staring in dismay when he notices the faint cuts on the back of his hand when he brought it up to shield his face. “It’s so real…”  

 

**Yuugo: 4000 LP → 3600 LP**

 

“But that’s not all!” Cronos is absolutely merciless.  “Boosted with Antique Gear Castle’s effect, Antique Gear Canon (500 → 800 ATK), attacks you directly!”

“Yuugo!” Yuuri grits out, fingers tightening around his knees when he notices his distraction.  “Pay attention!”

Yuugo snaps out of his daze with a yelp.  He hastily fumbles with his hand.  “When I’m about to get hit with a direct attack, I can special summon **Speedroid** **・** **Menkoat (0/2000)** in attack mode.  And that’s not all!  All _your_ monsters have to be in defence mode too!”

A scowl flits across Cronos’s face as his monster’s charge is stopped in its tracks, the gear soldier crossing its arms over tits chest and kneeling.   “Hmph! Stalling tactics.  Just as expected of a dropout boy to have such weak monsters. Well, no matter.  I activate Antique Gear Canon’s effect and tribute it to inflict 500 points of damage!”

“What the heck?!” Yuugo screeches, diving out of the way when Antique Gear Canon glows and launches itself at him, exploding messily on impact against the ground where he had just been standing.  Debris scatters through the air and a loose screw pops out, striking him on the forehead. “Ow, ow, ow!!”

 

**Yuugo: 3600 LP → 3100 LP**

 

On the sidelines,  a frown drifts across Yuuri’s features as he watches the duel, chewing absently on the tip of his thumb.  Despite being rather… eccentric, it seemed that Professor Cronos was a more competent duelist than he thought, somehow managing to counter all of Yuugo’s strategies so far.  Even stopping his Synchro summon without realizing it!  The most glaring weakness for Synchro summoning is that you can’t do anything without the right monsters on the field.  But knowing Yuugo, this is just a minor setback, Yuuri is sure.  

“It’s not over yet! I draw!” Yuugo cries, scrambling back to his feet. He staggers slightly and Yuuri can see that his elbows and knees are already covered in little scrapes but he seems to be as determined as ever.  He steadfastly clamps down on the small frisson of concern when the shockwaves from the solid vision seemed stronger than usual.  That is, until Yuugo’s expression changes when he glances down at the card in his hand.

“What…? But this is…” Yuugo’s eyes are wide in what appears to be dismay.  Several emotions flash across his face, too quickly for Yuuri to pick up which doesn’t help the sudden sense of foreboding that washes over him. Then, Yuugo’s entire body droops as he lowers his eyes. After a long, stilted pause, he quietly brings his hand to his duel disk.  “I… I can’t do anything right now.  I switch Menkoat to defence and I end my turn.”

Yuuri stiffens in shock.  

“What are you doing?!” he bursts out, infuriated by the sloppy dueling. Of all the things Yuuri had expected him to do, ‘nothing’ certainly wasn’t one of them.  Yuugo is supposed to be so much better than this! How can this be the same boy could steal the breath from his lungs with the brilliance of his strategies?  Surely he couldn’t be this discouraged from taking a few points of measly damage?

But Yuugo says nothing, tiny shoulders slumped and face shadowed by his hair as he keeps his gaze downcast and Yuuri feels oddly betrayed.  Cronos, on the other hand, couldn’t be more euphoric.

“My victory is guaranteed!” he cries out, actually dancing in place. “Now that my Castle has three gear counters, I can treat it as as three tributes for a tribute summon! I tribute summon **Antique Gear Golem (3000/3000)**!”

“Three thousand attack points?!” Yuugo gasps as the castle rumbles violently, sinking into the ground just as a hulking iron giant rises in its place. The creature is nearly the size of the castle tower itself and Yuuri finds his heart beating faster as he grips his knees with near-bruising force.  If only Yuugo had actually _done_ something in his last turn!

Cronos continues on, throwing his arms into the air.  “You’re in for a lesson you won’t forget.  If I control an Antique Gear monster, I can special summon **Antique Gear (100/800)!** And now, I activate **_Fusion_ ** to summon my ultimate monster-!”

 

“I fuse together **Antique Gear Golem** , **Antique Gear Soldier** , and **Antique Gear** !  Appear now **, Ultimate Antique Gear Golem (4400/3400)**!”

 

The three monsters’ silhouettes blur into a swirl of piercing violet light, before a gargantuan shape emerges from its epicenter.  Yuugo swallows visibly at the sight of the eerie red glow from beneath its helmet. He claps his hands over his mouth, blue eyes wide.  If Yuuri had thought Antique Gear Golem was stupidly huge, it had been nothing compared the sheer size of this disturbing amalgamation of metal and machinery. Yuuri has to strain to stare up into the eerie red glow within its hollow face.

But Cronos was just getting started.  “When the equip spell Antique Gear Tank is sent from the field, you lose another 600 life points!”

A phantasm of the graveyard-bound Antique Gear Soldier suddenly reemerges, its body straddling a tank with a long, pointed barrel.  Yuugo barely has enough time to dive down and cover his head before a sudden barrage of bullets riddle the ground.  His panicked cries are easily drowned out by the booming gunfire and Yuuri’s heart lurches violently in his chest.

 

**Yuugo: 3100 LP → 2500 LP**

 

“Now I attack Speedroid Menkoat (2000 DEF) with my Ultimate Antique Gear Golem (4400 ATK)! And my Ultimate Golem inflicts piercing damage! With this, you’re finished!”

As the golems massive clawed arm smashes through Menkoat’s thin body, Yuuri watches in crescendoing horror when the shock waves slam into Yuugo’s body and lifts him clean into the air.

“Yuugo!” The scream spills from Yuuri’s throat without him realizing as he lurches to his feet in dismay at the sight of him collapsed on the ground.   

 

**Yuugo: 2500 LP → 100 LP**

 

Before Yuuri can so much as take a step, Yuugo groans and forces himself back up to his knees.  And covered in bruises and cuts, he laughs.

“Hehehe...”  Yuugo lifts his head and for some unfathomable reason, he’s grinning like a fool. Despite just being nearly flattened and shot at and smashed into the ground, his smile is impossibly pleased.  “Are you sure you’re a teacher? I think you got your math wrong! I still have 100 life points left!”

Cronos’s face briefly twists with annoyance before once more replaced by gloating.  “And what can you possibly do with _only_ 100 life points, _nano ne_?” he scoffs.  

But by then, Yuugo had already leapt back up to his feet, face suddenly animated as his eyes spark.  “When my opponent special summons a monster from his extra deck, during the end phase I can special summon **Speedroid** **・** **Glass Skull (0/3000)** in attack mode!”

“Pft… you… you actually summoned a monster with zero attack in _attack mode_?!” Cronos doubles over, bursting peals into hysterical laughter. “To think you were even more of a dropout boy than I imagined! How useless can you be to make such a pathetic mistake?!”

Some of the confidence on Yuugo’s face vanishes as he flushes beet red in fury at Cronos’s continued mocking.  “Stop laughing!” he cries out, stomping his feet.  “It’s not useless and I _didn’t_ make a mistake.  You did!”

But Cronos only shakes his head, dabbing at the corners of his eyes with an embroidered handkerchief. “A monster with zero attack! In attack mode!”

Yuugo lets out a strangled scream, hands reaching up to grip his hair.  “I’ll show you!  My turn!  I attack your Ultimate Antique Gear Golem (4400 ATK) with Glass Skull (0 ATK)!”

“You’re doing what?” Yuuri exclaims, aghast.  Did the knock on his head make him completely lose his brain?

Across the field, even Cronos’s jaw drops to the ground.  “ _Mamma mia!_ Has the dropout boy gone mad?!”

But Yuugo just charges straight on, “And now I activate the Quick-play spell from my hand, **Rush Recklessly**! This lets me add 700 attack to a monster on the field!”

Groaning loudly, Yuuri almost wants to cover his eyes. “700 attack isn’t going to do anything!  Glass Skull’s attack is at zero!” he laments, feeling a wild urge to cry.

But upon a closer look, Yuugo is sporting a broad, victorious grin with all traces of his tantrum gone and Yuuri feels his heart beat faster again.  “And the monster I pick is - Ultimate Antique Gear Golem! (4400 ATK → 5100 ATK).”

“You really are insane!” Cronos is back to clutching his stomach in laughter.  “Now you’re just handing me the duel, _na no ne_!  Do you really want to get punished that much?!”

“That’s what _you_ think!” Yuugo declares with his hands on his hips.  He’s grinning so widely that his face looks like it’s about to split in half and Yuuri finds his breath catching again. “I just made sure I won.  Dueling isn’t just about having the highest attack points and smashing people; it’s about having fun!  Even weak-looking monsters can be strong!  Like my Glass Skull… any battle damage I take from this card is taken by my opponent!”

Whatever colour was left in Cronos’s powder-caked face abruptly drains away.  “What? What did you say?”

Both Yuugo and the little skull-faced monster looks so incredibly smug as he wags a finger in Cronos’s direction.  “And since Glass Skull has 0 attack, that means you get to take all 5100 points of damage!”

Cronos’s face is frozen in a blank mask of incomprehension as the spiraling vortex of destruction begins to sweep across the field.   “Impossible,” he sputters.  “I… I can’t lose to a _dropout boy_!”

But despite his protests, the wave is unforgiving as it slams right into his body, sending it hurtling backward through the air. He lands hard, sliding across the tiles and kicking up a cloud of dust before finally rolling to a stop.

“ _Par… mesian… chiisu…_ ”  After letting out a nonsensical groan, Cronos’s body twitches once before collapsing back onto the ground in a heap.

 

**Cronos: 3800 LP → 0 LP**

 

Yuugo blinks slowly, staring in awe as the monsters scatter into little particles and vanishes, leaving behind deep gouges in the stone.  He closes his eyes and breathes in deeply.

“I did it!” His triumphant yell echoes loudly through the empty courtyard as he spins around in place, laughing like a madman.  “I won!!”

Yuuri slowly lets out the breath that he hadn’t realized he had been holding, a hand reaching up to press against the violent beating of his heart.  His eyes are wide in exhilaration, still caught in that final climactic moment where Yuugo announced his victory.  

“Yuuri!” Yuugo’s voice brings him out of his daze and he looks up just in time to see Yuugo throwing himself at him.

“Wait, stop it-!” He barely even has enough time to exclaim before Yuugo’s skinny chest slams into his stomach and knocks the breath out of him.  The two of them tumble to the ground in a tangle of limbs and Yuuri groans when those spindly little arms dig into his back. Being tackled into the grass was one thing, but stone _hurts_.

Up close, Yuugo looks like a mess with his face covered in dirt and scratches and Yuuri realizes that he had gotten this banged up because of _his_ suggestion.  But Yuugo’s face holds no hint of condemnation, only beaming down at him with those clear blue eyes like he’s his favouritest person in the world.

“Yuuri, Yuuri,” he chirps, “Did you see me?! I won, just like you said I would!”

For a moment, Yuuri can only blink up at him as heat gathers in his face and his chest both constricts and swells at the same time.  It hits him all at once; the dizzying thrill from the duel, along with the stomach-churning anxiousness when it looked like Yuugo was going to lose. He frowns, suddenly irritated as he reaches up and digs his knuckles into those round cheeks.  

“Huh? Ow!” Yuugo complains, trying to move his face out of Yuuri’s reach.  “Stop it!”

Yuuri refuses to relent and presses his hands harder against his face.  “What exactly was that?” he demands crossly. “Your dueling was so sloppy.  You were completely relying on Glass Skull’s effect, weren’t you?”

“But, but I won, right?” Yuugo whines, his cheeks reddening under Yuuri’s assault.  

“If you weren’t so lucky, you’d have lost. What if Ultimate Antique Gear Golem had another 100 attack points? Why didn’t you Synchro summon earlier? You didn’t even use any other spell or trap cards.”

“But his Antique Gear monsters made it so I couldn’t use most my traps, right?  And since he kept looking down on my monsters I wanted to teach him a lesson.  I didn’t know his monster was gonna be that strong.”

“That’s why I said it was sloppy. You could have destroyed his Castle to stop him from summoning stronger monsters, or even used Shock Surprise to destroy his golem.” Yuugo deflates under the criticism, looking so sad and pathetic with his red cheeks and dirty face that Yuuri finally feels sorry for him. He lets out a huff and releases his face.  “But you did win, I guess. Good job.”

Yuugo blinks down at him before a broad grin spreads across his face again.  “Yeah!  That was so much fun!” he laughs and nuzzles his face into Yuuri’s neck which makes him stiffen and start to shove him off. Yuugo doesn’t seem to mind, happily climbing back up to his feet and even offers him a hand up which Yuuri pointedly ignores.  He gets up, dusting his clothes off along with his composure.

Once he’s satisfied that he’s presentable and his heart rate back to normal, he starts marching back over to where Cronos still lay with Yuugo trailing behind him.  Yuuri can almost see the question marks over his head as he casts anxious looks at Yuuri and then back over to the teacher he had just beaten up. His heels click to a stop just in front of him.

 

“Oh dear, Professor Cronos,” Yuuri says with saccharine sweetness, as he leans over.  “Are you OK?”

The groaning lump shifts to reveal the beleaguered teacher’s bloodshot eyes and a pale, ghastly countenance that has Yuugo squawking in fright behind him. Professor Cronos certainly looks like he’s had better days with his clothes rumpled and straw blond hair spilling over wildly.  

“ _Señor_ Yuuri,” he splutters, spitting out a stray pebble. “That, that match-”

“Ah, that was a wonderful duel, wasn’t it?” Yuuri sighs.  “Professor Cronos really didn’t hold back at all, did he?  Even going as far as turning off the safety settings.”

Yuugo tilts his head. “Huh? What safety settings?”

Cronos goes even paler as his gaze switches back over to Yuugo’s completely clueless expression.  “Why I never- That is-”

Yuuri giggles, bringing a finger up to his lips. “It’s okay, Professor Cronos,” he says, looking so perfectly angelic that butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. “I won’t tell if you don’t. You probably just forgot about it, right?  I mean, there’s no way a teacher would go all out against a first year student in their very first Solid Vision duel.  And it would be even more _embarrassing_ if they actually lost.”

“Hey, what’s a safety setting?” Yuugo asks again, tugging on his sleeve while Cronos’s mouth opens and closes a few times without making any sound.

Satisfied, Yuuri snags a hold of Yuugo’s hand and drags him over to stand beside him.  “Great!  This is Yuugo- _kun_ and he just started at Duel Academia today, but he lost all his luggage somehow so he doesn’t have any school papers or uniforms.  Oh, and he doesn’t have a duel disk yet, either.  I’m sure Professor Cronos would be happy to help out another star pupil, wouldn’t he?”

Cronos’s jaw opens again and this time it stays open as he gapes up at him.  Then, realization dawns and he coughs to clear his throat.  “O-Of course,” he laughs shakily, even though his face is twisting like he swallowed a lot of lemons. “That was just… an exhibition duel to welcome promising young students to Academia, _nano ne_ !  I look forward to teaching you, _Señor_ Yuugo.”

“Huh? What?” Yuugo asks, obviously having trouble keeping up with the conversation and Yuuri digs his nails into his hand in warning.  “Ouch! I mean, it’s, uh, nice to meet you?”

“Wonderful!” Yuuri exclaims, clapping his hands together.  “We’ll see you tomorrow in class, Professor.  Yuugo- _kun_ is sharing with me so you can just bring his luggage up to my room. Thanks again for the lesson!”

Humming merrily under his breath, he reaches out to grab Yuugo’s wrist again and drags him away from the beaten teacher’s seething form with a new spring in his steps. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look what you guys made me do!! I hope you're all pleased with yourselves
> 
> and its a super long chapter too, it just wouldn't end a;dskjfd;s


	4. Lesson #4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuugo's first day of classes goes as well as expected.

“Hey, hey, what was that back there?” Yuugo asks as he scrambles to keep pace with Yuuri, once the pair of them are out of earshot. “What was that about me joining Academia?  I’m supposed to go home tomorrow, remember?” 

 

Yuuri hadn’t forgotten, so much as he had been deliberately ignoring that little detail.  “I know,” he says with a downward twist of his lips that Yuugo can’t see.  But he quickly covers it up with a smile.  “Tomorrow, we’ll go look for the Professor but only after classes. I’ll get in trouble if I skip, you know.”  He won’t.  The teachers have never cared what Yuuri does, as long as he continues to do well.  They’re probably more relieved when he decides not to show up, lest he terrorizes the other children.

 

The other boy chews on his lips, big blue eyes wide with uncertainty and Yuuri doesn’t need to be a mind-reader to guess that he’s probably thinking about that  _ Rin  _ again. 

 

“...okay,” Yuugo finally says, rather than protesting like Yuuri had expected.  But the yawn that he tries to stifle tells him he’s likely too sleepy to keep worrying about it for now. 

 

Yuuri pulls his cardigan tighter around him and picks up the pace.  There is a briskness in the air now, with the sun long-gone and the first stars beginning to climb into the dark sky. The pair of them fall into a companionable silence, with Yuugo taking in his surroundings curiously while Yuuri does his best to subtly leech off his body heat. The other boy is almost like a furnace with his little hand practically radiating warmth.  

 

“Wait,” Yuugo says suddenly, coming to a halt.  “Then how come you told him I needed school papers and uniforms?” 

 

Yuuri resists the urge to sigh because Yuugo really did keep picking inconvenient times to be astute. “That’s just in case we don’t get to see the Professor for a while,” he explains with an air of deliberate patience.  “He’s the one in charge of everything so he doesn’t usually come outside.  It could be hard to find him so you might as well come to class with me.” 

 

Yuugo’s brows knit together. “Wait, does that mean I might not get to go home tomorrow?” 

 

“I said ‘just in case’,” Yuuri says.  “And even if we meet the Professor tomorrow, it doesn’t mean we’ll figure out where you live right away, especially since you can’t remember how you got here.”

 

“Oh,” Yuugo says, sounding a little anxious.  “But… But Rin’s gonna be upset if I don't go back soon.” 

 

Yuuri’s lips presses into a thin line but he manages not to look too visibly annoyed. “Well, you didn't get lost on purpose, right?” he says reasonably. “You’ll just have to explain it to Rin when you get back.” 

 

“I guess so,” Yuugo says halfheartedly.  He still looks rather unconvinced and worried and Yuuri doesn’t like it so he reaches out and pinches one of his cheeks.

 

“Ouch! Hey, what was that for this time?” Yuugo complains, slapping his hand away. 

 

“Stop sulking,” Yuuri says, bringing up a hand to his mouth as he stifles a yawn of his own. “I said I’ll help you get home, didn’t I?”

 

Yuugo rubs his cheek with a pout.  “Wasn’t sulking,” he mutters, even as his bottom lip juts out more. But he doesn’t bring up going home to Rin again which Yuuri decides is a victory.  He keeps half an ear out for patrols but they luckily don’t encounter anyone else on their way back to the dorms. It might be because this time Yuugo actually stays quiet like he asked, even though he’s twisting around and staring at absolutely everything, blue eyes wide when he notices for the first time just how  _ big _ the school is when they arrive at the gates. 

Yuuri rolls his eyes nudges him into a side entrance that he normally uses to sneak back inside.  The halls aren’t much warmer than the outside which makes him regret not wearing something thicker. He notices slightly jealously that Yuugo seems to have no problems despite only being in a ratty old t-shirt.  Luckily, his room is relatively close to the entrance and slightly away from the other sleeping areas which meant there was less of a chance for someone else to catch him. 

 

His room was clearly meant as a single for an older student but they had apparently run out of places for him in the regular dorms.  Yuuri has no complaints about the extra space, even if it seemed to accentuate the emptiness in a way his garden never did. 

 

There really isn't much furniture beyond a desk with a chair too short for him to reach it with, a reading lamp, and a bed that was big enough to fit three of him.  But he suspects it's nicer than what the other children got; he hears snippets of conversations and complaints about rickety bunk beds and too many children crammed together. 

 

“ _ This _ is your room?” Yuugo gasps, glancing around with that same look of amazement.   “It's so big!  Do you really live here by yourself?”

 

Yuuri belatedly realizes that this is the first time that he's ever had a  _ guest _ . Yuugo’s hair and clothes are a bright spot of colour against the cold gray walls and the room suddenly feels so much fuller than it was, with him putting around and examining his belongings.  He had kept his shelves lined with flowers from his garden but compared to Yuugo, they looked pale and diminished. Flowers couldn't entrance him with their dueling, couldn't make his blood rush and his heart sing.  Flowers didn't hold him with their small bodies and call out his name with such warmth. It's almost as if he had brought the very sun itself into his room. 

 

However, one word soured the equation. Guest. A temporary visitor. Like a beautiful rare book that could not be taken out of the library; something that could only be glimpsed behind layers of glass but not owned. 

 

“Yes,” Yuuri replies, going straight to his wardrobe to rummage around for clothes that aren't covered in dirt. “For now.” 

 

He tosses a spare sleep shirt and pants over to him and it hits him in the face because he's too distracted by his potted geraniums to catch them in time.  Yuuri ignores him as he sputters and pulls out his own pajamas. 

 

“Come on,” he says, rolling his eyes as he catches Yuugo by the wrist to pull him over to the on suite.  “You need a bath.  You stink.” 

 

“What? No, I don't!” Yuugo shrieks, flailing in his grasp with much more insistence than Yuuri thinks is merited.  

 

He frowns and yanks harder.  “You do! You're covered in dirt and you're all sweaty!” 

 

“I don't want a bath! Last time Rin got soap in my eyes!” 

 

Yuuri stills. “When was the last time you took a bath?” 

 

“Uh. Last week?” 

 

“...” Yuuri looks down at their linked hands in dismay before his eyes darken.  “Last  _ week _ ?” 

 

“Yuuri? Why are you making that face? Yuuri? Yuuuuriii, nooo!”

 

* * *

 

“Stop sulking already,” Yuuri says to the lump under the covers.  The lump stiffens before shifting slightly until a pair of baleful blue eyes peer up at him.

 

“I didn't need a bath,” Yuugo informs him unhappily.  Every inch of his skin is pink from a thorough scrubbing and his damp hair looks decidedly droopy.  Which is why he's sulking. 

 

“Yes you did,” Yuuri says, rolling his eyes as he finishes buttoning up his pajamas.  “You were more dirt than person.  Now, budge over.”  

 

He lifts up the covers and slides in, bare feet seeking relief from the cold floors.  Yuugo still looks personally victimized over being clean, but he does as he's told, shuffling over to give him space. The bed dips as Yuuri shifts to make himself comfortable. 

 

Yuuri lets out a quiet yawn, eyelids drooping shut as he curls into his pillow.  There’s plenty of room for the both of them on the double but they’re close enough that Yuuri can feel the indent in his mattress and hear the other boy’s quiet breaths. It’s oddly comforting, quietly lulling him to sleep.

 

Except the fact that Yuugo just cannot seem to stay  _ still. _ Yuuri wrinkles his nose when he changes position for the fifth time, sheets rustling and mattress bouncing. 

 

“Stop moving around,” Yuuri complains, an eyebrow twitching as he digs his cold toes into his calves in revenge.  

 

Yuugo lets out a squeal.  “Your feet are freezing!” he accuses, yanking his legs away.  

“It's your own fault for fidgeting so much.” Yuuri is unmoved, although Yuugo really did feel like a furnace. “Just go to sleep.” 

 

“I can't,” Yuugo whines. “The bed’s too big and wide and Rin’s not here.” 

Yuuri twitches and he sticks his foot out again, this time digging his toes into Yuugo’s sides. “I changed my mind. You can sleep on the ground.”  The resulting shriek is satisfying on so many levels that Yuuri himself can't even begin to articulate. 

 

“Gahh!” Yuugo scrambles to get to the other side of the bed, yanking his shirt down protectively with an offended look on his face.  “What's your problem?!” 

 

“I can't sleep if you keep rolling around,” Yuuri says testily.  And his feet are cold, while Yuugo is leaking heat like a miniature sun.  “And if I don't get to sleep, I'm going to be upset.”  Yuugo turns red and mumbles something incomprehensible into the pillow and Yuuri raises an eyebrow. “What?  I can't hear you.”

 

Yuugo coughs.  “I said, I can't sleep because I usually sleep next to Rin.” 

 

“You're sleeping next to  _ me _ ,” Yuuri points out, obviously not seeing the issue. He waits impatiently while the other boy fidgets.

 

Yuugo shakes his head, his round cheeks tinting pink.  “It’s just different,” he declares in a way that doesn’t make Yuuri at all happy. “I mean. Everything here is different, you know?” 

 

Yuuri huffs, blowing his bangs out of his face. “Come here.”

 

Yuugo blinks. “Huh?” 

 

“Come here,” Yuuri repeats firmly and glares at him until he shuffles over and loops his arms around his neck with more force than necessary and smushes his face into his shoulder.  “There. Now the bed isn’t as big, right?  So be quiet and let me sleep.”

 

Yuugo squirms, arms flailing a little as he tries to right himself so Yuuri isn’t cutting off his air supply.  The position is awkward and Yuuri is holding on far too stiffly since he isn’t entirely sure where he should be putting his arms. But just as Yuuri is starting to wonder if he made a mistake, he feels Yuugo relaxing.  

 

“Better?” he asks as casually as he can manage like he didn’t care either way.

 

He can feel Yuugo’s jaw shifting into another yawn and his breath slightly tickles his neck.  “... Yeah. Yeah, it is. Thanks, Yuuri.”

 

Yuuri says nothing but burrows further under the covers. Yuugo is warm and smells faintly of Yuuri’s soap and an underlying hint of something else that reminds him of lying outside beneath the sun. Whatever it is, Yuuri likes it.  

 

Before today, it was unthinkable to have someone else this close to him but this closeness feels as natural as breathing.  Yuugo smiles at him, talks to him, hugs him without any reservations at all.  Maybe he’s just an idiot who doesn't know any better. But Yuuri wants to keep it this way, to have those smiles to himself.

 

Especially since Yuuri has absolutely no intentions of actually finding the Professor. 

 

With the distractions out of the way, Yuuri has the time to ponder Yuugo’s situation.  It really is strange, especially when Yuugo insists that he had merely fallen asleep at home and woke up with Yuuri literally poking him awake.  The most plausible explanation he can come up with is that the orphanage must have decided to send him away without him knowing.  There was no other way on or off the island and there’s no chance of someone just wandering in. Chances are, even if Yuugo does make his way back, they probably won’t even want him.

 

So why should he want to go back? Wouldn't it be better for both of them if he just stays here with Yuuri?

 

* * *

  
  


_ Clunk _ . 

 

Yuugo jolts back awake at the dull pain in his chin and he hastily straightens up to pretend he had been paying attention all along.  

 

Down at the front, Professor Cronos’s face looks rather pinched as he glares right back at him but he gnashes his teeth and turns back to the lecture without commenting.  Yuugo is rather relieved to be spared his attention; daylight hadn’t exactly improved the teacher’s pale, sunken features.  It rather accentuated the dark shadows beneath his eyes and the bruises on his face (bruises that Yuugo had inadvertently given him last night.)

 

He fights back another yawn as his eyelids grow heavy.  Yuugo would have sunk right back into sleep if it wasn’t for how stiff and itchy the uniform was. And he thought going to a school that taught dueling would be fun. 

 

His heart rate picks up when he remembers his first Solid Vision duel.  The heat on his skin and the pressure in the air.  The thrum of Yuuri’s duel disk vibrating against his arm.  The pure, unfiltered joy surging through his veins as he claimed victory. It had been so intense, so much more than he could have imagined experiencing.  

 

And it was such far cry from sitting on an uncomfortable bench in an uncomfortable blue uniform staring mindlessly at a bunch of screens that he can’t read.  Where are the monsters?  The battles?  Is all this actually going to help anyone be a better duelist?  Yuugo squints harder but the squiggles look just as illegible as ever.  Or maybe that’s just because he hasn’t learned to read any kanji yet.  His fingers absently drum a beat against the desk as he readjusts his feet for the tenth time since class had started.

 

He sneaks another look over at Yuuri who is doing a much better job at looking attentive; his eyes are actually open and are pointed vaguely towards the front like he’s actually looking at the lecture, even though the way he is idly twirling his stylus screams boredom.  But that means he’s completely ignoring the pleading expressions that Yuugo keeps sending him.  

 

Yuugo huffs, cheeks puffing up faces the front again and plunks his head down.  School, he quickly learns, is another word for prison.  A cold, gloomy place where children have to sit on hard chairs and listen to stuff that doesn’t make sense.  He wants to go outside in the sun and play in the grass.  He wants to duel Yuuri again, a  _ proper _ duel.  But most of all, he wants to hurry up and go looking for the Professor so he can make his way home.

 

Not that he doesn't like being with Yuuri.  Sure, he is kind of bossy.  And fussy. And a little stuck up.  Just remembering Yuuri pinching his cheeks makes him want to cover his face preemptively. 

 

But despite all that, he was nice to him. Yuugo didn't exactly know anyone else here besides Professor Chronos but Yuuri had not only given him a place to stay, but even managed to procure all sorts of things for him.  There had been a package waiting for him outside Yuuri’s door, all wrapped up with fancy paper and filled with three sets of uniforms, all the first year books, and a brand new duel disk. It even came with a toothbrush and a set of towels and a small pouch of  _ actual money  _ that Yuuri had told him was a ‘stipend’. Whatever that is. 

 

It was then that Yuugo started to wonder if Yuuri was actually someone important, despite being just a kid like him.

 

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of boredom, a buzzer rang over the intercom which jolted Yuugo out of his doze.

 

“Huh-” a wide yawn threatens to crack his jaw open as he stretches his arms, “-whuh. Wha’s happening.” 

 

Yuuri glances over at him and his lips turn up at the corners in a way that makes Yuugo wonder if he’s laughing at him.  “That’s just the bell,” he says dismissively as he starts to pack his stuff away.  He stands up and turns to Yuugo with a single raised eyebrow (that looks unfairly mature and adult) before inclining his head down at the desk.  “Well? What are you waiting for? Unless you want to stay here.”

 

Yuugo blinks slowly at him and turns his gaze towards the rest of the students all doing the same before finally getting it. “You mean it’s over?!” he exclaims, jumping up to his feet immediately and gathering up the things Yuuri had him bring.  He is practically running as he takes the steps down four at a time as he follows Yuuri out, not noticing the heated glares that Chronos was shooting him the entire time. 

 

“I thought it would never end,” he groans once he catches up and the pair of them are meandering down the hallway amongst the colourful uniforms. The place is packed with students, but for some reason no one seems to be walking in front or behind them, giving them a wide berth.  “Do you actually do this  _ every day _ ? It was soooo boring, I thought I was gonna die.”

 

Yuuri shrugs casually and dumps the tablet he was carrying into Yuugo’s arms and he has to scramble to not drop them. “Hold this for me, won’t you?” he says before stretching as well.  “And that was just first period. There’s another period after lunch.”

 

“Another period?!” Yuugo fumbles with their belongings again, a rather horrified expression crossing his face.  “That’s like- forever!” 

 

Yuuri rolls his eyes. “Don’t be silly, it’s just a few more hours. Now, stop making a fuss and let’s get something to eat.”

 

“Hours,” Yuugo repeats with real despair.  “I can’t wait hours!” At this rate, he won’t get to meet the Pro-fess-or until tomorrow.  But he immediately perks up at the mention of food.  “Wait, you mean they feed you here too?” 

 

“Of course they do,” Yuuri says, doing that eyebrow thing again that Yuugo is rather envious of. Maybe he’ll teach him how to do it so he can look just as unimpressed and sarcastic.  “Unless you’re doing survival classes.” 

 

Yuugo isn’t sure he likes the sound of that but he speeds up anyway at the promise of food.  

 

He also isn’t sure he likes Academia.  It’s huge and grand like a castle in Rin’s storybooks, but the walls are cold and gray.  It must be depressing to have to spend so much time within these windowless rooms.  No wonder Yuuri had been hiding out in the gardens. At least he’s going to be going home soon. Just as soon as these classes are over and they’re free to go exploring again.   

 

And it’s not all bad. Although he misses Rin a lot, Yuuri is here with him and nothing is ever boring when with him. Even though he’s bossy, fussy and stuck up and tricks him into doing favours for him.

 

“Hey, why am I still holding your things?”

 

“Because my arms get tired.” 

 

“Oh. Wait, what about if  _ my _ arms get tired?” 

 

“Are they?”

 

“Well, no.”

 

“Then there you go. You’re doing a good job.”

 

“But-! Yuuuuuuuuuuriiiiii-!” 

 

“Stop right there, Yuuri!” 

 

Yuugo fumbles with the stack of things in his arms as he tilts his chin up to blink owlishly at the person who was suddenly in their way.  He can see Yuuri’s amused expression turn into a frown.  There is a girl around their age standing in the middle of the corridor with her hands on her hips and tresses of long, tawny hair swaying behind her.  Her eyes are narrowed in displeasure as she glares at Yuuri with a mixture of anger and apprehension.  There are a bunch of students crowding around, mostly hanging back behind her and exchanging worried looks.  Yuugo blinks, looking between them curiously.

 

He leans over to whisper,  “Hey, hey is she your friend?” 

 

“Don’t be silly,” Yuuri scoffs.  “I don’t have any friends.” Before Yuugo can protest, Yuuri takes a step forward with his arms crossed over his chest, magenta eyes flashing.  “Do you mind?  You’re in my way.”

 

The girl’s frown deepens but she doesn’t take the hint to move aside.  Instead, she actually takes a step towards them.  

 

“Asuka-” someone whispers worriedly from the crowd and Yuuri’s eyebrow twitches. Yuugo blinks again when Yuuri’s hand starts to inch towards his duel disk and the entire crowd gasps and takes a collective step backward.

 

“If you’re not going to move, then I’m going to make you move,” Yuuri says as a matter of fact. “You’re making us late for lunch.”

 

“It’s okay,” the girl, Asuka says before squaring her shoulders and glaring and Yuugo can see her duel disk activating as well. His confusion spikes at her next words. “Yuuri, we’re not going to let you do as you please anymore!  You better leave that kid alone!”

 

“Tch,” Yuuri clicks his tongue and even Yuugo can feel the displeasure rolling off him in waves, especially when the hallway is suddenly flashing with light as the rest of the children activate their duel disks to form an impenetrable wall. “Just try and make me.”

 

Yuugo continues to gawk, feeling like he is missing something here. Until the last part clicks.

 

“Haaaaah?!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! And a reminder that comments sustain me and keep me motivated... so if you enjoyed it or didn't enjoy it, please let me know. Please. ;w;


	5. Lesson #5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri and Yuugo have an altercation.

Yuugo blinks, eyes wide as the crowd of children advance. He can see the muscles in their jaws twitching as they clench their teeth tighter. The glow from their duel disks illuminate their tension-filled faces as they coil their bodies low, ready to spring. And very clearly blocking off the hallway.  He frowns, confused and just a little bit worried as he quickly shoots Yuuri a questioning look.  

 

But Yuuri’s face is unhelpfully blank, aside from slight crease between his brows. Wordlessly, he takes a step forward, leaving Yuugo staring at the back of his tight shoulders and feeling more confused than ever.

 

“Yuuri?” he asks, reaching out to touch his shoulder but it’s the blond girl that answers him instead.

 

“It's okay,” she repeats and Yuugo freezes, hand grasping nothing but air.  It takes a few seconds for him to realize she's actually talking to _him_.  There is an encouraging smile on her face as she reaches out to him with a dainty hand outstretched and for the first time, Yuugo notices that she’s actually rather pretty with big, warm eyes that remind him of Rin.  Without him realizing, a tiny blush brightens his cheeks at the girl’s attention. But the warm fluttery feeling gives away to more confusion at her next words. “You don't have to be scared anymore.”

 

“Scared?” Yuugo repeats curiously. “Of what?”

 

“This is a waste of time,” Yuuri suddenly cuts in and Yuugo startles at the sound. He almost doesn’t recognize it as Yuuri speaking; the sound is cold and sharp, cracking through the air like a bladed whip.  There is a collective flinch as the crowd stumbles back and even Yuugo is starting to feel kind of unsettled by how Yuuri is acting. “Ignore them, Yuugo. You promised me, didn't you? You _promised!_ ”

 

Yuugo stills when Yuuri finally faces him, his heart skipping a beat when he sees his eyes. Something was wrong with them.  Yuuri’s pupils had _changed_ , constricting into vertical slits like some kind of reptile.  The venom in his words and the terrifying intensity in his gaze makes him gulp. Instincts he doesn’t understand are screaming at him to run.  It’s just Yuuri, he argues with himself. It’s just Yuuri. His mouth doesn’t listen to him and he just ends up rooted to the spot. But Yuuri must have noticed his hesitation because his expression twists, eyes darkening with something Yuugo can't identify before he abruptly turns away, leaving Yuugo staring mutely at his back as a chill creeps up his spine.

 

“That's enough!” The blond girl steps forward, cards fanned out in her hand, any earlier friendliness giving away to icy determination. “We’re not going to let you get away with hurting anyone else, Yuuri!”

 

The gathered crowd seems to grow restless at witnessing their exchange, marching forward and closing up the gaps in their flanks with a rustle of fabric and the metallic clank of machinery, effectively sealing off the hallway with lines of glowing swords.  It was like a dam had burst at the girl’s declaration and a litany of curses spewed forth.

 

“Let's teach him a lesson!” A boy dressed in a red uniform spits out, his expression vicious as he cracks his knuckles. “Make him pay for everything he did to us!”  

 

“There's only one of him! Not so scary now, are you?” A chorus of escalating threats and accusations echo through the hallway, each shout fueling the crowd’s anger. “No one wants to duel you anymore! No one wants you here! Why don’t you just go back to your creepy plants and leave us alone?”

 

This time there is no misunderstanding the crowd’s intentions and a knot grows in the pit of Yuugo’s stomach as he gapes at the crowd and then back towards Yuuri who has been worryingly quiet. He frowns.  Why were they saying things like that?  Why wasn’t Yuuri talking?

 

“Yuuri?” he tries again, this time with a thread of concern and frustration since the other boy seems dead set on avoiding his eyes. He sucks in a breath, cheeks puffing up stubbornly as he reaches up to grab his shoulder.  “Yuuri, what’s going... on?”

 

Yuuri is smiling. But it’s all wrong; the curve of his lips is too sharp and too wide for his face. He doesn’t even look at Yuugo. Instead, his eyes are watching the crowd of children the same way someone would watch insects crawling over their shoes.

 

This is not how Yuuri is supposed to smile.

 

“Is that all?” Yuuri sighs, brushing his hand off his shoulder and Yuugo lets it drop, still feeling like someone had glued his tongue to his throat.  “Well? Weren't you going to teach me a lesson? Hurry up, I'm getting bored.”

 

The blonde girl’s composure wavers, a mix of outrage and disbelief seeping through the cracks. Behind her, the crowd is once again growing uneasy, some of the bravado falling away when faced with Yuuri’s unsettling calm.  “How can you say that? Don't you feel bad about hurting our classmates?!”

 

“Why should I?” Yuuri asks, playing idly with a lock of his hair.  “I won, fair and square. Why should I care what losers say?”

 

“You...” The girl hisses through gritted teeth. “You’re not even sorry, are you? What kind of monster are you?”

 

“You think I’m a monster?” Laughter bubbles up from inside Yuuri’s chest, the kind that feels rough and jagged in his lungs and makes his ribs hurt. The grin on his face stretches even wider as he takes a slow step forward. He likes how it makes the girl take a step back. He likes how they’re all looking at him now, watching him from the corners of their eyes the same way they would watch a snake slithering towards them with sharp, poisonous fangs.  They’re so weak and boring. Playing at being brave knights facing off against a dragon even though they’re all too terrified to hold onto their swords.

 

It’s not _Yuuri’s_ fault that they weren’t strong enough to duel him. It’s not _Yuuri’s_ fault that they didn’t understand him. Not like… not like Yuugo-

  


“STOP IT!”

  


Yuuri freezes at the sight of Yuugo standing in front of him with his arms spread like a barrier.  A stabbing pain shoots through his chest as he glares up at those wild blue spikes, the hurt slowly transforming into rage and betrayal. He should have known better.

 

But then, he realizes that he’s staring at Yuugo’s back. His anger is swiftly displaced by confusion as he stares at his small, tensed up figure like he’s seeing them for the first time. The other boy looks even smaller in the crisp blue of his borrowed Academia uniform but his shoulders are squared and purposeful.  And glowering up at the children with his blue eyes narrowed into angry slits.

 

“Leave Yuuri alone, you big bullies!” he cries out, punctuating the demand with a belligerent step forward. “I won’t let you say any more mean things to him!”

 

It’s almost like his words had cast a spell; an immediate hush descends on the hall as the children become rooted on the spot as if thorny brambles are suddenly entwining their bodies. Even Yuuri is too surprised to react, standing stiffly with a hand poised over his duel disk.

 

The blonde girl, Asuka, is the first to recover.  She shakes herself, drawing in a deep breath, visibly struggling to compose herself.  When she speaks up again, clearly addressing Yuugo, her voice is so full of gentle understanding that it makes Yuuri bristle.

 

“It’s _Yuugou_ - _kun_ , isn't it?” she asks, her smile just shy of patronizing. “You’re new here, right? That means you haven't dueled him yet, so you don't know-”

 

“I've dueled Yuuri plenty!” Yuugo cuts her off, his little face flushed with a belligerent offense as he throws out his arm. A glowing sword materializes into the air with a snap, making it very clear that he had heard enough.  “All I see is a bunch of bullies ganging up on a kid because they're too scared to fight him one on one! I hate people like you the most!”

 

The girl’s eyes are almost comically wide as her mouth opens but no sound escapes. “But- I was trying to help you!” she exclaims, clearly offended as she continues to argue her case.  

 

“I didn’t ask for no help!” Yuugo fires back loudly. “And for the last time, it's not Yuugou! It's Yuugo!”

 

“But he was picking on you, wasn't he? He's making you carry his things!” she insists, gesturing at the pile of tablets and bags that Yuugo had left discarded on the floor. “And you’re covered in bruises!”

 

“He wasn’t picking on me!” Yuugo thunders. “Yuuri’s arms were tired so I was helping him! And I have these bruises because there weren’t any ‘safety settings’, that’s all!   But none of that is Yuuri’s fault and you’re butting in for _no reason_!”

“See?! He really _is_ hurting you!” Asuka exclaims with frustrated conviction.  “Why are you protecting someone like that?”

 

“Asuka, just forget it!” Another girl hisses as she steps out into the circle, glaring at Yuugo with such hatred in her eyes that he finds himself at a loss for words. “He’s probably like _him_. If he's on his side, then he's just as bad!”

 

As if acting upon an unspoken cue, the frozen tableau of children breaks into motion at the shout.  There is a flurry of activity as they reach for their decks with cold, stony faces. In a flash, the hall becomes crowded as mechanical hounds materialize in showers of sparks, their red eyes flashing as they bay for blood.  

 

“Let's teach them  _both_ a lesson,” they hiss as the monsters advance, sharp metal talons scratching grooves into the floor.

 

But Yuugo only stands up straighter, turning slightly with a determined glint in those clear, blue eyes that never seems to fail in stealing Yuuri’s breath away.  Yuuri wonders if he has suddenly taken ill; his face feels hot and his pulse flutters erratically in his chest. It becomes harder and harder to look at Yuugo’s face.

 

“Don’t worry, Yuuri,” he calls out, flashing a wide, carefree grin. So painfully bright and blinding in its purity. “I won’t let these jerks touch you!”

 

Yuuri’s eyes widen, his thoughts suddenly thrown into disarray as he tries to take in the scene. The wave of advancing monsters, the students cold, hateful eyes, and Yuugo’s small back still standing firmly in front of him. As if trying to protect him. As if _Yuuri_ needs to be protected like some frail princess in a tower!

 

A heated burst of emotion bubbles up in his throat as he watches this _ridiculous_ child.

 

“What are you doing?” he hisses, finally finding his voice as he activates his own duel disk with an angry snap of his wrists. “Get out of my way, you dummy.”

 

Yuugo blinks at him in confusion but his expression soon tightens. “No!” he exclaims, actually turning his back on the children to glare at him. The action leaves them so flabbergasted that even the monsters stop their charge.  Seemingly unaware, Yuugo crosses his arms over his chest as his chin juts out stubbornly.  “I’m not gonna move and I’m not a dummy!  And you’re such a liar, Yuuri!”

 

“Excuse me?” Yuuri is momentarily taken aback before irritation rushes back in to replace his surprise. He narrows his eyes back into some semblance of a glare as he tries in vain to figure out what was wrong with the other boy. “Are you _trying_ to make me mad?”

 

“You heard me!” Yuugo insists, reaching up to grab him by the collar and it speaks to how confused Yuuri is that he forgets to shove him off. “You said you didn’t have any friends! What about _me_ ?! _We’re_ friends, aren’t we?”

 

The only thing that meets his impassioned proclamation is an incredibly strained silence. The other boy shifts his weight from one foot to the other as he frowns at Yuuri’s frozen expression. “Hey, say something!” he demands, giving his shoulders another shake. “Yuuri?”

 

At the sound of his name, Yuuri snaps awake, slapping Yuugo’s hands away from his collar. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he mutters, doing his best to look angry even as the tips of his ears burn and his heart is beating like a drum. “And stop getting in my way. I told you to ignore them!”

 

Yuugo continues to watch his face with newfound fascination, inadvertently invading his space further to get a closer look.  “Yuuri. Yuuri, are you-?”  

 

“Stop ignoring us!” someone from the crowd calls out in protest and the moment is lost. Yuugo finds himself yelping and tugging Yuuri out of the way of a sudden barrage of gunfire. He blinks, staring up wide-eyed at several large mechanical canines and flashes back to the creatures he had faced when he fought Professor Cronos. Although these monsters are far smaller, they are apparently no less deadly. There are several holes in the tiled flooring and a wave of anger flares up as he draws his first five cards.

 

“Hey, that was dangerous!” he yells, stepping in front of Yuuri again who doesn’t seem to appreciate his efforts at keeping him safe, judging by the incredulous glare he is still shooting at him.  Yuugo, of course, doesn’t notice as he whirls back around to face the thread. “You could’ve hurt someone!  I’ll teach _you_ a lesson!  When I control no monsters, I can special summon **Speedroid - Beigomax!** Now, I summon my tuner monster-”

 

“Everyone, wait a minute!”

 

Yuugo lets out a frustrated whine as his synchro summon is once again thwarted as he glares across the hall.  Asuka had pushed her way out of the crowd and is inserting herself firmly between Yuugo and the other children, her arms spread in an echo of Yuugo’s earlier actions.

 

“Wait,” she repeats, looking rather frazzled. “Maybe this really was just a misunderstanding! And… we’re not supposed to fight in the halls!”

 

“You're the ones who started it!” Yuugo yells, pointing at her accusingly with his cards still clutched in his hand. “You can't just barge in and say mean things about Yuuri and then say it's a misunderstanding! Ugh! I'm so mad! Now I'm gonna kick all your butts anyway!”

 

“All of you,” a cold voice cuts in and the entire hall freezes as violet light flashes behind them, “Are in my way.”

 

Yuugo turns, curious to see what had put those looks of terror on the children’s faces and his eyes grow wide at the towering creature that suddenly filled the hallway.  The first thing he notices is the long, poisonous fangs adorning a massive, drooling maw.  Numerous pulsating mouths decorated the rest of its body, open wide and hungry.  Starve Venom took a threatening step forward, growling with sinister menace as its prey trembled, most of them letting out screams and turning tail to flee. Yuuri’s smile only grows wider as he stands in the dragon’s dreadful shadows, his eyes alight with a terrifying glow. He laughs, a cold, inhuman sound as his small body cutting a nightmarish figure in the darkened hallway.

 

Only Asuka and a handful of others remain, tensing and readying their duel disks in anticipation of the inevitable standoff. Until their concentration is broken by a strangled squeal and their attention is reluctantly drawn towards a certain child who seems to be immune to the heavy atmosphere and is hopping slightly on the balls of his feet to get a better look. Yuugo is gazing up at the creature with stars in his eyes as he lets out an appreciative sigh. “Starve Venom is so cool!” he gushes.  “I wanna summon Clear Wing too!”

 

“What is _wrong_ with you?!” Two voices ring out nearly simultaneously and Yuugo tilts his head in confusion when he realizes they belonged to both Asuka and Yuuri.

 

Yuugo turns around to look behind him and doesn't see anything there. “Who are you guys talking to?” he wonders.

 

Asuka sputters, gesturing wildly in the air like she's trying to mime out the words that don't make it to her mouth. Several aborted tries later, she finally manages a whole sentence.  “You- you're supposed to be _scared_! He fed three students to his dragon in the last two months! There are kids in the hospital!  He's… he's _obviously_ dangerous and we're trying to help you!”

 

“But dragons are cool!” Yuugo argues back, not at all understanding her issue, blinking slowly like he can't think of a better way to go than being eaten by a huge, ferocious venom-spewing beast. The blond girl looks increasingly flustered while the gathered children begin to whisper frantically amongst themselves.

 

Yuugo isn’t sure why Yuuri is holding his face in his hands or why his shoulders are shaking. “Yuuri?” he calls out, immediately scrambling over to his side and grabs his shoulders. “Yuuri, are you okay?! Are you crying?”  Yuugo’s alarm only grows when Yuuri makes a small, hysterical noise and shoves him off, a hand still clamped tightly over his mouth as those magenta eyes glitter. He watches in dismay as Yuuri’s entire body trembles from the force of his… mirth?

 

Finally, Yuuri removes his hand from his mouth, allowing a fresh round of hysterical gasps all the while grinning from ear to ear. He draws a deep breath but still can’t quite get his giggles to stop spilling out. Suddenly, everything is _hilarious_ , especially the confused concern on Yuugo’s face and the way the other students are still cringing back.

 

Starve Venom snorts impatiently, slamming his tail into the stone floor hard enough for the castle to shake and Yuuri is treated to the satisfying sights of the Ancient Gear Hounds whimpering and lying down on their bellies.  Yuuri’s laughter eventually dies down after a few false starts since the look on Yuugo’s face keeps setting him off.  All of Yuuri’s anger, his classmates’ silly grudges, and everything else fades in importance, once again melting back into the dull, colourless background aside from those endlessly blue eyes.

 

“Yuuri?” Yuugo eyes him warily, tilting his head like a small confused animal, his nose scrunching up when Yuuri reaches up to give his little face a shove. “Ow! What was that for?!” he complains rubbing his forehead.

 

Yuuri ignores him in favour of addressing the nuisances still lined up in their path. There’s far fewer of them now and the ones that remain look appropriately nervous. Asuka glares uncertainly at them, brown eyes darting from Yuuri and then back at Yuugo’s clueless face. He smiles at her, a bit too wide for it to be polite as he inclines his head. “Tenjouin- _kun_ , was it?” he asks in saccharine tones. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding. You see, Yuugo- _kun_  here is my roommate and I’m showing him around the school. I wouldn’t dream of _bullying_ him. Isn’t that right?”  

 

“Eh?” Yuugo mumbles, blinking at suddenly being addressed. He ends up nodding along obediently. “Yeah! Yuuri’s my friend!”

 

“See?” Yuuri says, pleased. His chest warms at the other boy’s words and he has to resist the urge to smirk at the other girl.  He’s seen her around before, always smiling and surrounded by her adoring little sycophants. But this time Yuugo is the one standing next to _him_.  “There’s nothing for you to worry about here.  So, if you wouldn’t mind, we would like to go to lunch now and you are blocking the way.”

 

Asuka visibly steels herself and Yuuri has to privately commend her for not looking nearly as scared as she should be.  Of the initial ten, there are perhaps four other children remaining, still gripping onto their cards with white knuckles and gawking between Yuuri’s dragon and the blond girl they consider their leader.  But with Starve Venom looming above them all, their monsters look evermore pitiful.  Finally, Asuka straightens up, pulling her deck out from her duel disk and shoves it back into its holder.

 

“Fine,” she says, crossing her arms and still glaring uncertainly at Yuuri.  One by one, the other children follow suit after trading uneasy glances and the rest of the monsters vanish from the field. “But… But you better not hurt anymore of our classmates with that dragon of yours!”

 

Yuugo stiffens like he wants to start another fight but Yuuri only smiles wider. “Only if they don’t get in my way,” he replies sweetly, though he does disarm himself in a show of good faith and nudges Yuugo to do the same. Yuugo huffs and reluctantly removes his deck as well, with a slight pout on his face that looks oddly similar to Starve Venom’s sulky expression as he dims and fades.  The blond girl doesn’t look entirely convinced at his rather insincere promise but he can’t be bothered with her anymore.

 

“Right,” Yuuri says as he claps his hands together, in surprisingly good spirits after a rather annoying debacle. “Let’s go, Yuugo- _kun_.  Don’t forget our things.”

 

Yuugo still looks rather mystified as he nods along and scrambles to pick up the bags he had discarded. “Hey, wait for me,” he whines, jogging a bit to match paces with him as they slowly stroll through the scattered crowd.  Yuuri takes great satisfaction in the way most of them scamper away from them as they draw closer.  

 

The only obstacle left is Asuka who is still watching him with suspicion but she does end up stepping aside to let them pass.  Her eyes seem to say that this isn’t yet resolved.

 

“Hey, look,” Yuugo says, his steps pausing, turning to fix the girl with a glare. “I don’t know why you thought Yuuri was being mean to me but he’s actually really, really, really nice and smart!  If I see you trying to bully him again, I’m gonna kick all your butts for real!”

 

“E-Eh?” Asuka ends up stuttering when his face ends up a bit too close to hers and for some reason that eats into Yuuri’s good mood. He clicks his tongue and reaches out to grab him by the sleeve.

 

“Come on,” he snaps, dragging him rather roughly away and ignores Yuugo’s startled yelp. “I’m _hungry_.”

 

* * *

  


Yuuri frowns down at his half-eaten potatoes and pushes his plate away from him.  A few seconds later, Yuugo’s hand snatches it up and he eagerly starts in on it.  Yuuri isn’t sure if he should be appalled at how terrible his table manners are or if he should be impressed at how much the small boy had devoured. There is a rather large stack of empty dishes slowly forming beside them.

 

“This, this is so yummy!  And we can really eat as much as we want?!” Yuugo exclaims between bites and looks practically euphoric. The two of them have a whole table to themselves since most of the cafeteria had been promptly vacated when they arrived.  The upperclassmen normally had different meal times which suited Yuuri just fine.

 

“Maybe the Starve-Venom card would suit you better,” Yuuri sighs as he rests his cheek in his hand. Yuugo certainly acts like he hadn’t eaten a proper meal in his whole life. “Didn’t they feed you back home?”

 

Yuugo washes down another mouthful with an extra large glass of juice. “Nope! Not like this!” he muses. “I’ve only ever seen this much food in the markets in the nicer districts.”

 

“Mm.” Yuuri makes a noise to show that he’s listening but mostly continues his observation. It seems that the more he learns about Yuugo, the more confusing a picture it paints.  He had obviously come from a poor orphanage with no friends or family aside from that Rin girl. Furthermore, he had never heard of Academia or Fusion summoning and had never had a decent meal in his life. But none of it explains why the other boy had sided with him.  Why he had chosen to look at Yuuri with such trust in his eyes. Even after how Yuuri had reacted.

 

“You're not going to hate me?” he asks mildly, his voice even and almost bored like he’s not invested in the answer. But the way his hands tighten around his knife and fork betrays his tension as he makes his next confession. “I did hurt those kids. And I don't care that I did.”

 

There is a slight pause as Yuugo chews and Yuuri watches him with an odd sense of anticipation.

 

“Why would I hate you?”Yuugo wonders, a confused frown wrinkling his forehead. He gives his head a shake and makes a face. “You’re so _weird_.”

 

“ _I’m_ weird?” Yuuri mutters, an eyebrow twitching slightly at the utterly dissatisfying response. Especially after it had taken him so much effort to voice his question.  ”You’re the one who makes no sense!”

 

“Well. You're supposed to say _sorry_ if you hurt someone, not laugh at them.”

 

“And _why_ would I ever want to do that? I just told you that I’m _not_ sorry.”

 

Yuugo frowns, scrunching up his nose as he sets his fork down with a clink.  He seems to be seriously considering his question as he leans back. Finally, he gives an irreverent shrug.  “I dunno. It’s supposed to make them feel better, or something. Least, that’s what Rin says.”

 

“So,” Yuuri says with a roll of his eyes. But the tension is slowly bleeding from his body when it becomes obvious that Yuugo doesn’t think anything about his supposed crimes. His gaze is still just as clear, without a single hint of reproach. “You think I should lie to them to not hurt their feelings.”

 

Yuugo blinks slowly like the thought had never occurred to him. “Uh. Yeah? I guess I am.”

 

“You,” Yuuri tells him, shaking his head.  “Are clearly a bad influence on me.”

 

But he's smiling anyway so Yuugo counts it as his win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this is kind of late - real life has really been getting in the way but I hope I can get the next chapter written sooner. Thanks for reading! Also, feedback really really does help motivate me to write faster (or at all) so I really appreciate your comments.
> 
> Next chapter will be start of the next major arc (with actual plot!).


	6. Interlude#1: Advanced Placement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Yuugo is slowly settling in.

 

“I don’t get it, Yuuuuuriiiiii!”

 

Yuuri expels a huff of air, blowing his bangs away from his face and does his best to ignore the plaintive wail coming from the other side of his room. He idly flicks to the next page on his tablet and tries to focus back on how different levels of soil acidity can affect the pigmentation of hydrangea flowers. His brows knit together slightly when he notes that his garden doesn’t have the right pH level or aluminum ions to grow attain the exact shade of blue that he had wanted. As he debates his issue, Yuugo rolls over on the bed so he can plop his chin on his shoulder.

 

“Yuuri,” he whines again, practically draping himself on his back like an unhelpful rug. “Help me!”

 

Yuuri rolls his eyes but allows the intrusion into his personal space. He just shuffles a little so he can use Yuugo as a backrest.  “Just read the text. I’m busy right now.”

 

“‘s too hard to read,” Yuugo mutters resentfully.  “There’s too many complicated characters. And why do I have to learn the differences between normal fusion and contact fusion anyway? I don’t even _have_ any fusion monsters.”

 

“Oh, I don’t know,” Yuuri says airily. “Maybe so you don’t end up humiliating yourself when you lose to someone who doesn’t need _Yuugou_ to fusion summon?”

 

“‘M name’s _Yuugo_ , you jerk,” the other boy mumbles into his shoulder. “Fusion is dumb anyway.”

 

Yuuri scoffs and finally turns off his tablet since he obviously isn’t going to be getting any more reading done. “Fusion isn’t _dumb_.”

 

“Is too.” Yuugo sulks. “I mean, I can use any tuner and any monsters as long as I add up my levels right. But with fusion monsters, you have to use specific cards or it won’t work!”

 

“Not my Starve Venom, though,” Yuuri replies rather loftily. “And there’s plenty of cards that let you substitute fusion materials. Aren’t adding levels together even more restrictive?”

 

Yuugo huffs, blowing up his cheeks and making them even rounder than normal. “I still don’t get it.”

 

“For someone so persistent, you're giving up awfully fast.”

 

“What does per-sis-tent mean?”

 

Yuuri sighs again but his voice is unmistakably fond.  “A pest.” Yuugo makes an indignant noise which makes him smirk. “Fine, I'll explain it to you again. Make sure you take notes this time.”

 

He privately wonders just how Yuugo manages to be such a clever duelist yet be so utterly useless when it comes to studying or taking tests.  Apparently, they make him nervous in a way that confronting solid vision monsters didn’t and he always manages to perform spectacularly poor. But much to the dismay of all his proctors, when it came to practical duels, Yuugo could wipe the floor with just about anyone in their class (aside from Yuuri, of course).

 

In what felt like a blink of an eye, Yuugo had already been at Academia for a full month. Yuuri deliberately kept him as busy as he could, filling his time with classes and homework and working in his garden. He can usually pacify him with exploring the castle grounds under the guise of looking for the Professor whenever he started whining about missing Rin.  For the most part, Yuuri thinks he has successfully distracted the other boy from thoughts of home.  It also helps that Yuugo is absolutely thrilled to sleep in a nice, soft bed, eat tasty food and duel as much as he wants.

 

And Yuuri gets to have his bright, beaming smiles all to himself.

 

He thinks things are close to perfect as it can get.

  


“Does that make sense now?” Yuuri asks, tapping his stylus with a hint of impatience.

 

Yuugo nods frantically. “Yeah! … I think so.”

 

“You think.”

 

“Um. So… so, ‘contact fusion’ isn’t really fusion summoning but it’s a special summon even though the fusion monsters are still… fusion?” Yuugo tries his best to paraphrase but seems to be more confused than ever as he counts on his digits

 

“Close enough,” Yuuri sighs and flicks his forehead before getting up to gather their things. “Come on, classes are starting up.”

 

He leaves Yuugo to squeak and scramble off the bed after him. It goes as well as expected; the lectures are boring and the written exams are a joke. Though Yuugo might not agree, judging by the tiny whimpers he can hear beside him.  The bell heralding the end of classes couldn't come sooner and Yuuri is practically vibrating with boredom.  

 

“Finally,” he mutters, reaching out to grab a depressed-looking Yuugo’s wrist to drag him with him.  It's kind of funny seeing him so listless for a change, compared to his seemingly boundless energy.  “Come on, let's go. I want to go to the towers today.”

 

“Antique Gear Golem can be searched by ‘Spell Gear’, ‘Geartown’, ‘Antique Gear Wyvern’ and… and what else?” he’s still mumbling to himself under his breath. “Why can’t I remember anything?”

 

Yuuri rolls his eyes and tugs harder. He can literally see steam coming out from the other boy’s ears.  “Stop thinking so hard about it. That's all useless trivia anyway.  It only really matters if you can win duels or not.”

 

The other boy blinks and looks pensive, humming and hawing as he trails after Yuuri in his usual airheaded way. “So… You’re saying… Even if I fail everything, as long as I can win duels, it’s okay?  Then why do I have to study?!”

 

Yuuri just continues smiling, deliberately not mentioning that he’s in complete agreement. Or that, before Yuugo appeared out of nowhere, Yuuri spent more time out of class than in it. But how could he pass up a chance to see the other boy all panicked and flustered? “Because,” he replies in a singsong, deliberately leaving him hanging.

 

After a beat, Yuugo’s adorably expectant face droops in disappointment when he finally realizes Yuuri had no intentions of elaborating. “I _hate_ school,” he groans with conviction and Yuuri laughs into his face.

 

Just before they leave the classroom, however, Cronos calls out to them unexpectedly.

 

“ _Scusami_   _Señors_ ,” he calls out, rubbing his hands together. “May I speak to you, _nano ne?”_

 

Odd.  Cronos had just about spent the last month avoiding eye contact like the plague But Yuuri hadn't missed the increasingly frantic glances that he kept sneaking at them. Curiouser and curiouser. Yuuri stops and raises just one eyebrow, before pivoting around with a sweet smile plastered on his face.

 

“What is it, Professor?” he asks. “Did you need something from us?”

 

The pasty-faced man affects what Yuuri imagines the man probably believes is a kind, teacherly countenance, but judging from the way Yuugo stiffens in fright, he had missed the mark by a lot. “Well, the thing is- I just couldn't help but notice that the two of you seem to be. Well. You seem to find my lessons rather… dull.”

 

Intrigued, Yuuri raises an eyebrow and leans closer. Has this useless adult unexpectedly grown a spine and decided to reprimand them for a change? His eyes are practically glittering. How… exciting!  “Whatever gave you that impression, Professor?” he presses, wrapping himself in a veil of saccharine innocence. Unfortunately, Yuugo doesn't seem to get the memo.

 

“I'm sorry!” he blurts out and Yuuri has to hold back a sigh at how easily he caved. “I didn't mean to nap! But every time you start talking, I just get really, really sleepy! But Yuuri never did anything bad, so please don't hang him from his ankles!”

 

Cronos’ expression twists and Yuuri wonders if he's about to yell. But contrary to his expectations, he draws himself together and plasters another ugly smile onto his face. “I suppose there's no helping It, _nano ne!”_ he says with an obviously forced laugh. “Of course my lessons would be dull for such advanced students!”

 

Yuugo blinks and Yuuri unknowingly adopts the same look of skeptical bemusement.

 

“Me? Advanced?” Yuugo asks slowly, pointing at himself for clarification.  “But I only answered two questions on the test!” And considering the exam was scored out of a hundred, that’s just tragic.

 

At that declaration, Cronos’ mask of pleasantness wavers. “W-Well, grades are not everything, _nano ne,_ ” he says through gritted teeth, sounding like every word physically pained him. Especially since the hopeless dropout boy before him had quite thoroughly trounced his ass in a duel. “So! I was thinking. That perhaps the two of you would benefit from moving up a level!” Clearly pleased with his own genius, Cronos draws his thin, painted lips into a wide toothy grin. It’s always fascinating to see just how far his skin stretches back as that gruesome smile carves its way across his face. Truly, Yuuri thinks, if anyone would be the face of nightmares, he can think of no better candidate than Cronos de Medici.

 

But now, Yuuri’s interest is piqued. Advanced placement. Everyone had long since accepted that Yuuri was powerful beyond his years, but it was an acknowledgement that came in the form of fearful whispers and hushed avoidance. The other children ran from him and the adults carefully avoided his eye.

 

All aside from the strange boy fidgeting restlessly beside him. Yuuri sneaks a look over at the other boy’s face, noting the confusion there. A confusion that Yuuri also shared, for once. As much as he is in agreement that his talents are utterly wasted against his age mates, the timing, however, is suspicious. Why did they wait so long for something to be done? Why hadn’t Yuuri been approached months ago? Something about all of this feels odd. But if Cronos is trying to play a trick on him, he's not about to give it away. This would surely be interesting.

 

“Move up?” Yuugo asks. “Are we supposed to go somewhere?”

 

Leave it to Yuugo to be so disarmingly clueless. Yuuri doesn’t miss a beat and directs another saccharine smile up at the teacher’s rapidly falling face. Adults always underestimated children.

 

“Nono,” Cronos says hurriedly, clearly swallowing his ire with several frog-like gasps. His bulging eyes swivel upward, perhaps in search of patience. “What I meant is, how would you like to move up a year? Have classes with the older students?”

 

Yuugo frowns, clearly still baffled by the offer. Yuuri, on the other hand, can't contain the excitement threatening to spill over at finally being able to leave the other dull, snivelling children behind. Surely, he and Yuugo will have a far more interesting time facing against stronger opponents.

 

“I would love to, Professor,” he chirps, clasping his hands together behind his back. “But is it really alright? I'm afraid our grades might not keep up.”

 

“!” Yuugo suddenly latches onto his arm like Yuuri might leave him behind. “I wanna go too!” he exclaims, peering up at their teacher with those wide, beseeching eyes that even Yuuri found difficult to say no to. “I'll study five times, no, fifty times harder!”

 

“Really? You’ll do it, _nano ne_?” For some reason, Cronos looks far more thrilled about it than the two of them put together. He is even doing a weird little dance. “ _Fortissimo_!  I'll put through the papers immediately, _nano ne_! Ohoho!” With that, he turns on his heel and practically flounces out of the classroom, leaving Yuuri and Yuugo alone.

 

It was so painfully suspicious that even Yuugo seemed to be picking up on it.

 

“Why is he so happy?” he asks, peering over Yuuri’s shoulder. “Is moving classes such a big deal?”

 

Yuuri has his guesses but there's no point dwelling on it now. “Let’s go to lunch,” Yuuri declares instead and holds out a hand that Yuugo eagerly grasps.

 

“Lunch!” he cheers with enthusiasm, seemingly emptying his head completely of the odd encounter.  The two of them wander to the cafeteria, their swinging hands clasped between them.

 

* * *

 

 

It is now the afternoon and classes are finally over.

 

Yuuri hums quietly to himself as he turns his page. The weather is warm and balmy for now, even though the reds of autumn are beginning to creep into his garden, a sign that summer is nearing its end. He hates seeing it, hates having to watch as the bright array of colours fade to browns. Even the sun spends winter hiding itself away behind gloomy grey skies.

 

But this winter, he won't be alone. Yuuri casts a fond gaze over to his companion, admiring the way his hair glowed like halos under the stray sunbeams that shone through the foliage. Yuugo still looks just as warm bright as the day he had found him, but today he seems preoccupied.

 

The other boy can't seem to sit still, twisting his little hands in the grass. He had been oddly quiet during the second half of classes. Contemplative, even. Yuuri sighs and sets his tablet down on his lap. “What’s the matter?” he asks, propping his chin upon his hand.

 

Yuugo stiffens a little, flashing him a guilty look. “Nothing,” he says a bit too quickly for it to be anything but a lie. Yuuri’s eyes narrow.

 

“I don't like liars,” he reminds him with a glare and holds back a smirk when Yuugo visibly caves.

 

The other boy turns to him, obviously sulking. Even his wild blue spikes seem droopier than usual. “I was thinking,” he mumbles. “Cuz. If we move up a grade, the tests are going to be harder, right? What if I get bad marks?”

 

Yuuri cocks an eyebrow and tactfully doesn't tell him that his grades are already awful. He hadn't realized Yuugo was actually that bothered by it. “I imagine so,” he says. “And?”

 

“What if they make me go back?” Yuugo bursts out. His knuckles are clenched and white and it is only now that Yuuri notices he looks close to tears. “I don't wanna be in a different class than Yuuri!”

 

For a moment, Yuuri is robbed of words as he gazes at Yuugo’s reddening face. A thrill of pleasure creeps up into his chest, leaving him feeling oddly warm. “Don’t be silly,” he scoffs, turning his face away to disguise the heat in his own cheeks. “I wouldn’t let them. And if you fall behind, I’ll help you. So stop crying.”

 

Yuugo shakes his head, hiccupping as he wipes at his face on his sleeve. “‘M not crying,” he denies, lips curving clearly into a pout. He still doesn’t seem to be completely satisfied but at least he’s not as visibly upset anymore. Yuuri waits a few more seconds before reaching for his reading again. He doesn’t get more than a few pages in before he’s interrupted.

 

“How come you always know everything?” Yuugo mumbles, frowning at the tablet in his hands. His words might have been taken as resentment had it come from anyone else, but all Yuuri can detect is a pure, genuine curiosity. Like it’s an unshakeable fact that Yuuri does, in fact, know everything.

 

Yuuri really doesn’t know what has gotten into the other boy all of a sudden. Most of the time, he’s painfully simple to understand but occasionally his motivations can be so opaque. He decides on a shrug and an offhand, “It's because I read _books_.”

 

“I would read too,” Yuugo says and this time he does sound a little begrudging as he draws his knees up to his chest. “... if I knew how to read good.” He peers up through those big, luminous eyes that never fails to make Yuuri’s breath catch.

 

Yuuri slowly looks down at his tablet and then back up to Yuugo. And then finally, understanding dawns. He can’t help but giggle as he stretches out his legs. “Come here,” he demands, drawing a slightly annoyed stare from the other boy. Yuuri only rolls his eyes in response. “I said, come here. How am I supposed to read to you if you’re sitting so far away?”

 

Yuugo blinks slowly before a delighted grin blossoms across his face. In no time at all, he is cuddled up close to Yuuri’s side, hanging onto every word as Yuuri carefully traces his finger across the screen to pull up his favourite book.

 

_“Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do...”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay i lied, the actual plot is starting next chapter


	7. Lesson #6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri isn't having a very good day.

 

Yuuri awakens to confusion. His thoughts feel slippery, slithering around in his head and moving teasingly away every time he tries to grasp them. His body also feels heavy; not the warm, comfortable kind where he's weighed down by blankets or when Yuugo rolls over on him, mumbling nonsensical things in his sleep.  

 

No, this is a sticky kind of heaviness. Like from illness where his mouth is dry and furry like he had swallowed a whole cat.

 

Yuuri frowns, forcefully peeling open his eyelids to glare at the long, unkempt blades of grass that were tickling his nose. Had he fallen asleep in his garden?  

 

No, the foliage is unfamiliar and the trees are much, much denser. The canopy almost completely blots out the sun, leaving only thin, scattered pools of light on the murky floor.

 

And Yuugo is not here.

 

Yuuri’s stomach lurches reflexively as he pushes himself off the ground, eyes darting around for tuffs of blue hair or bright, gold bangs.

 

Nothing. Nothing but knotted trees and dark, grasping branches. He presses a hand to his chest as the heaviness grows. It feels like there are insects crawling around in his stomach, their wings beating angrily against the inside of his chest.

 

He doesn't know where he is or how he got here. But most importantly, he doesn't know where _Yuugo_ is.

 

“Yuugo?” he calls out, dimly noting that his voice comes out much higher and shakier than he had intended it to. “Yuugo? If you don't come out now, I'm going to be mad!” But if Yuuri had expected Yuugo to come tumbling out from the bushes, he is sorely disappointed. Yuuri draws a deep breath and expels it from his lungs with a forceful rush. He is not used to being left in the dark, figuratively or otherwise, and he finds that he absolutely detests it.

 

Yuuri frowns, magenta eyes narrowing in concentration. The forest looks impossibly big; the trees seem to go on forever, no matter how far back he cranes his head. And the castle is nowhere in sight.

 

Deep breaths, he tells himself. In and out. Stay calm and access the situation. Yuuri closes his eyes and thinks of Yuugo’s earnest blue eyes and bright, beaming smile in vivid detail. If Yuugo is out here somewhere, then Yuuri needs to find him. Especially with the other boy’s appalling sense of direction.

 

When he opens them again, he feels calmer, some of the pressure in his chest ebbing away.

 

Yuuri thinks back as hard as he can in an attempt to pierce through the fog in his head. He remembers getting a notification on his duel disk, detailing he and Yuugo’s change in homerooms and further instructions to report to their lecture hall. He remembers Yuugo’s nervous energy and a building anticipation in his own belly…

 

And this is where his recollection ends.

 

Yuuri thinks he would probably find this situation rather intriguing if it wasn't for the fact that _Yuugo isn't here_. He frowns a little, finally realizing just how acutely he feels the void left by the other boy’s absence. Ever since he had arrived at Academia, they had never been apart for longer than several minutes. Whether it had been taking meals together, bathing or sleeping, Yuugo had not left his side once. He will just have to find him because he's not about to revert back to those drab, colourless days, not after getting a taste of how it feels to hold the sun in his arms.

 

“Okay,” he says out loud, narrating to an invisible audience. “First, I need to retrace my steps.”

 

He may be by himself in a strange forest, but Yuuri is hardly helpless. He double checks his wrist and finds his duel disk and deck firmly strapped in place. He's still dressed in the crisp blues of his school uniform, and he has no other belongings on him. Annoying, but he will manage. Yuuri places a hand on his deck and his small shoulders relax a fraction when he feels Starve Venom’s answering heartbeat, taking comfort in the knowledge that he will never be truly alone.

 

“I don’t suppose there’s a yellow brick road for me to follow,” he muses aloud, filling the silence again with the sound of his own voice as he picks a random direction to start walking in. He does rather feel a bit like Dorothy, being so far away from home. (Yuugo, he thinks, would be Toto.)

 

Yuuri squared his small shoulders and finally sets off. For several long minutes, he walks, fingers trailing along the rough bark, marking an invisible path.

 

The fallen leaves crunch quietly beneath his feet, but aside from that, the forest is still. Too still. He can't detect any traces of birdsong or any other sound that makes a forest alive. Almost like every creature inside it was coiled tight in anticipation.

 

It's faint, but he can hear it all too clearly. A snap of a twig beneath a pair of shoes that are not his own. He gives off no sign that he had seen or heard anything, waiting until his watchers were ready to show themselves. Luckily for his thinning patience, he doesn't have very long to wait.

 

The shadows in the trees move as one and soon, Yuuri finds himself surrounded. Due to the poor visibility, all Yuuri can make out of their features are the glint of grinning teeth lit by the light of their duel disks.

 

“What's a little boy like you doing here by yourself?”

 

Yuuri clicks his tongue in annoyance at the sheer condescension dripping from those words. He counts maybe five of them. Dressed in the same uniform as his, but he's sure he's never seen them before. Most likely upperclassmen, then, as they all clearly tower over him. But really. Where _has_ Yuuri ended up?

 

He lets out a huff and lifts his chin with an impertinent tilt. The last thing he wants now is to be bothered when he's trying to do something important.

 

“Do you mind? You're in my way.” Yuuri’s expression is flat, aside from a very clear thread of annoyance. For some reason, this makes him throw their heads back in laughter like he had told a hilarious joke.

 

“Did you hear that, boys?” the tallest boy takes a step forward as if to emphasize how much bigger he is. Aside from an overly prominent chin, there is nothing remarkable about him. “Does the widdle baby thinks we’re in his way?” This sends a round of snickers through the gathered crowd and Yuuri’s patience is wearing ever so thin. “Too bad. This road is ours and if you want to use it, you'll have to pay up!”

 

“How about you leave your duel disk here and we’ll let you through?” another with unfortunate pimples cuts in with a sneer.

 

A scandalized expression flits across Yuuri’s face. Really? Are these small-brained mouth-breathers trying to _bully_ him? Do they not know who he is? Yuuri lets out a long sigh, for the first time disappointed to not have people running from him in fright.

 

“Hmm,” he draws out, pressing a finger to his lips as if he's actually giving the demand some thought. “That's no good. I don't want to give you my disk but I also want to get through. Hmm. What to do, what to do?”

 

Yuuri spies the older boys shooting each other slightly confused looks at his reaction. His lips curve up into a wide smile that his classmates have learned to fear.

 

“I have a better idea,” he chirps. “Why don't _you_ leave _your_ duel disks here and I won't get mad at you?”  

 

The sneers on the older boys’ faces turn a shade incredulous.

 

“Is he _serious_?” Pimples mutters.

 

Butt-Chin cracks his knuckles with a glare that he probably thinks is menacing but Yuuri is the opposite of impressed. “Looks like this little brat needs some remedial lessons. Let's end this with a duel!”

 

The older boys all lunge forward from all directions, making it clear they had never intended to play fair in the first place. Yuuri ducks his head to hide the slow, uncanny grin spreading across his face, unknowingly deepening the shadows over his face. “I thought you would never ask.” He pivots gracefully on his heel and dashes deeper into the forest, unmindful of the boys’ alarmed shouts. Dull-witted and obnoxious as they appear, Yuuri thinks it’s better not to underestimate them… too much.  

 

“Get him!”

 

Yuuri hides a smile at the sound of cursing as the larger boys lumbered around in the forest behind him. Lately, at the restless Yuugo’s urging, Yuuri had been introduced to a game known as ‘tag’ for the first time which mostly involved the two of them chasing each other around the school and shrieking with laughter. Too bad this isn’t nearly as much fun.

 

“It’s my turn-!” “I summon Antique Gear Hound!”  “-my turn!” “Antique Gear Hound!”

 

Several voices cry out one after another and Yuuri runs faster, but not fast enough to avoid the beams of light that streak after him through the trees. They strike him in rapid succession with the force of a blunt hammer and Yuuri’s steps falter. He shrugs off the effect damage, even though it shaves off three thousand of his life points right off the bat. Five pursuers, then, and rapidly gaining on him too, judging by the sounds of the monsters’ sharp growls. It would have been bad if there had been just a couple more. Now, this is a predicament. Chased through the forest by a pack of bloodthirsty hounds.

 

This time, Yuuri can’t help but let a giggle escape; a high, childish laughter that echoes eerily through the trees. He really hadn’t woken up in the best of moods and these annoying boys seem like the perfect targets to take his irritation out on. “Now,” he calls out sweetly. “It’s _my_ turn.”

 

* * *

 

It was a good thing that Yuuri hadn’t expected much out of these pompous little thugs or he would have been severely disappointed in how easily they fell for the simplest of tactics. One by one, their sneers transformed into screams as Yuuri’s Predator Plants blasted them into the trees, leaving them slumped and motionless.

 

“You’re the last one, then,” he says with a sigh, turning slowly to the quivering mess on the ground. “And I didn’t even get to summon my dragon.”

 

“W-Wait, wait, wait,” the pimply one gasps, holding out a hand. “We’ll let you pass! We’ll leave you our cards, _anything_! Just let us go!”

 

Yuuri rolls his eyes. “Weren’t you going to teach me a lesson? Anyway, you’re really starting to annoy me so I’ll have you go to sleep now. Go, Chimerafflesia. Direct attack.” His lovely monster advances with deliberate slowness, its fanged maws stretched wide. Yuuri takes a bit of vindictive pleasure in the look of naked terror on the boys face just as he is swallowed up.

 

Of course, since it’s only solid vision anyway, his body emerges intact once the duel ends, and slumps to the ground. Yuuri lets out a sigh and deactivates his duel disk, looking around him for the trail again. The momentary diversion had brought him far from where he started, though he still has no idea if he is any less lost.  He feels even more like Dorothy now, with only flying monkeys for company.

 

But perhaps he had judged too soon. Yuuri suddenly spies a flash of blond hair out of the corner of his eyes and his heart leaps.

 

“Yuugo-!” he cuts himself off when he turns fully and realizes too late that it’s the wrong shade. Neat, tawny locks instead of gold, honey-brown eyes instead of crystal blue. Yuuri doesn't bother hiding his disappointment.

 

“Oh, it’s you. Tenjouin Asuka… - _kun_.” Of all the people in the world to run into. There is surprise and wariness in the older girl’s eyes, particularly when she notes the prone, motionless forms scattered around Yuuri’s feet.

 

“Yuuri- _kun_ ,” she echoes, dipping her head in a tiny nod. To her credit, she doesn't seem to be frightened, if not a little disapproving. Since that day in the halls, Yuuri hasn't seen much of her, or her sycophantic hanger ons.  Apparently, after seeing Yuugo in action during classes, even when using a basic Academia deck, they were smart enough to give them both a wide berth. Just the way he preferred it. Crossing paths with her now is… annoying.

 

The other girl hesitates, seemingly working up the will to speak to him. Eventually, she asks after a cautious look around them. “Is… Yuugo _-kun_ not with you?”

 

“Does it look like he is?” Yuuri surprises them both when his words come out sharper than intended, but that’s likely due to the sudden wave of irritation that had risen up in response to her question. Partly, because the missing Yuugo is a bit of a sore spot, and partly because the other girl seems to be _disappointed_. He’s slightly tempted to activate his duel disk again but ultimately refrains as she seems willing to be civil. For now.

 

The other girl moves toward him slowly, her footfalls laced with caution the same way someone might approach a wild beast, but her eyes are clear and determined. “So you woke up here by yourself too?”

 

The cogs in Yuuri’s head start turning and he allows his body language to relax as he turns to Tenjouin Asuka with a slight hint of interest in his eyes. “Too? Does that mean you know how we got here?” he questions her. “And where is _here_ , exactly?”

 

She furrows her brow in thought, tawny eyes dimming in recollection. “I remember being in the assembly hall. We were supposed to be starting a new lesson for all the upper years. But then the air started to smell strange and then everyone started to fall asleep. Then I woke up here.”

 

It was more than Yuuri can remember, but he still can’t help but be disappointed regardless. All this tells him is that they’ve all been brought here, deliberately. But for what purpose? “Is that it?” he asks, losing the patience to be polite, feeling another urge to vent out his worsening mood at having his time wasted yet again.

 

“There was some kind of message too. Didn't you get it?”

 

Yuuri raises his eyebrows. “Show me,” he demands, uncaring when a brief flash of irritation flitted over the other girl’s face. But she complies anyway, holding out her duel disk and tapping a button.

 

A hologram springs into view between them, projecting the visage of a man with cold eyes and heavy grey moustache. Yuuri’s eyes instinctively narrow in dislike, a feeling that only grows as the adult continues to speak.

 

“ _Starting from today, you are no longer children. You will take on the mantle of our glorious Academia and become her valiant soldiers… if you prove yourselves worthy, that is.”_ Here, a sinister light enters the projection’s eyes as its lips curl with an ugly sneer. “ _You are on a deserted island with no civilisation. There are boats waiting on the shore to take you back to Academia. But let’s just say… spots are limited. Make no mistake, students. This is war; a war where the strong will survive and the weak will be trampled to pave the way for their betters. ...Good luck._ ”

 

The projection stills, briefly frozen on the teacher’s smug face before it flickers back into static.  Halfway through the villainous speech, Yuuri had started to tune it out, having already gleaned what he needed to know.

 

Yuugo _is_ somewhere in this forest and he won't stop until he's back where he belongs.

 

“Well, that's it,” Tenjouin says distastefully, shutting off the broadcast and frowning down at her arm. “I don't know anything else. But I am surprised to see you, Yuuri- _kun_. Aren't you too young to be doing survival classes?”

 

“Yuugo and I were moved up a grade… thanks to Professor Cronos’ _personal_ recommendation,” Yuuri pipes up with a smile like razor wire as all the puzzle pieces start to line up. He tilts his chin up, regarding Tenjouin with a mild curiosity. Wondering if the older girl would try to attack him like the others. “Well,” he says with an air of deceptive casualness. “If you don’t mind, I’ll be on my way now.”

 

He has a wayward Toto to find, after all. With that, Yuuri turns to leave, only to pause when the other girl calls out again.

 

“Yuuri- _kun_ , wait!”

 

He doesn’t bother turning all the way around and shoots a glare over his shoulder. Tenjouin is once again sporting a fiercely protective look again, the same look she had been wearing when she had stood in front of those other children in the hallway. Only this time, that look seems to be bizarrely aimed at _him_.

 

“What is it now? Tenjouin…- _kun_ ,” he asks with a hint of impatience leaking through his mask of politeness.

 

Tenjouin seems to be taking a steadying breath before she squares her shoulders. “I’m coming with you!”

 

Now Yuuri is properly surprised. “Excuse me? And why would you want to do that?”

 

“Because,” she says. “It’s safer if we travel together. And… and I wanted to make up for before.” The older girl colours from embarrassment at Yuuri’s skeptical expression, but her blazing eyes are no less determined as she forges on. “I was wrong about you.”

 

“Wrong about me how?” Yuuri asks, eyes narrowing further. He’s a second away from drawing his duel disk anyway, if only to get rid of the odd tension in his chest. Tenjouin is watching him with a knowing expression that sparks his irritation all over again.  But her next words stop him in his tracks.

 

“You’re worried about him, aren’t you?” she declares, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re worried about Yuugo- _kun_. That means Yuuri- _kun_ isn’t… isn’t a monster and I shouldn’t have called you that. So… So I’m going to help you look for him!”

 

Yuuri’s eyes widen to circles. He quickly snaps his head back to the front to disguise the sudden flood of embarrassment on his face when the other girl had so effortlessly identified the cause of his irritation. The sickness churning inside his stomach, the heaviness in his chest. He _is_ worried. Every second without seeing those bright, blue eyes makes his heart tighten with dread. Just who knows what other kinds of trouble he would get himself into without Yuuri to look after him?

 

He gives his shoulders a half-hearted shrug and continues to walk with a dismissive call of, “Do whatever you want.”

 

Yuuri may not know how, where or _when_ he’s going to find Yuugo but he does know one thing. He’s going to relish the look of terror on Cronos’ face when they return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand... plot. *sinister laughter* 
> 
>  
> 
> you knew it couldn't last *more sinister laughter*

**Author's Note:**

> This was a mistake. A horrible, horrible mistake. 
> 
> Someone stop me.
> 
> Edit: AND A HUMUNGOUS THANK YOU TO TRIAGA FOR CONTRIBUTING HER AMAZING ART!


End file.
